''Fanfan'' (''Fanfan & Alexandre'') is a 1993 French romantic comedy film written and directed by

Alexandre Jardin Alexandre Jardin (; born 14 April 1965) is a French writer, film director and winner of the Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French List of literary awards, literary prize awarded each year by an exclusively female jury. The prize, which was ...

and starring

Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...

and Vincent Perez. This film is based on the director's best-selling 1990 novel, which was translated into almost two dozen languages.

Plot

Alexandre (Vincent Perez) feels disillusioned with his fiancée, Laure (Marine Delterme), whose idea of romance is a pair of slippers for

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

. Their once passionate relationship has settled into monotony. To clear his mind, Alexandre visits the beach cottage of his friends Ti (Gérard Séty) and Maude (Micheline Presle), where he meets Fanfan (Sophie Marceau), Maude's granddaughter, a student studying to become a perfumer. Though they sleep in the same bed that night, Alexandre avoids any physical contact. As the days pass, Alexandre and Fanfan grow closer. Fanfan takes him to an abandoned house where they share intimate conversations. Back at his apartment, Laure tries to reignite their relationship by dressing as an Italian

call girl A call girl or female escort is a prostitute who (unlike a street prostitution, street walker) does not display her profession to the general public, nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by ...

, but the attempt falls flat. Laure's father's gloomy talk of Alexandre joining the funeral business and the bleak future of marriage discourages him further. Fanfan confesses to a friend that she's in love with Alexandre, but for him, things are more complex. He confides in Ti that all his relationships lose their magic once sex is involved. He proposes a solution:

Platonic love Platonic love is a type of love in which sexual desire or romantic features are nonexistent or have been suppressed or sublimated, but it means more than simple friendship. The term is derived from the name of Greek philosopher Plato, tho ...

. To preserve the excitement of unfulfilled desire, Alexandre vows to court Fanfan forever without revealing his feelings or engaging physically. He decides to stay with Laure physically while remaining emotionally connected to Fanfan. Alexandre and Fanfan share a romantic evening, but when the owner of the apartment they’re using returns, they narrowly escape. Alexandre then creates a magical experience for Fanfan at a television studio, dancing with her in an 1813

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

set. However, when he toasts to their "friendship," Fanfan is disappointed and leaves to meet her friend Paul, a sculptor doing a nude study of her. At home, Laure suspects Alexandre of seeing someone else. He admits it, but insists nothing will come of it. Laure begins planning their wedding, but Alexandre envisions them turning into her parents. Meanwhile, Fanfan, frustrated with Alexandre’s behavior, confronts him. She gives him an ultimatum: choose between her and Laure. Though Alexandre claims to want only friendship, Fanfan knows he is attracted to her. One evening, Alexandre secretly adds sleeping powder to Fanfan's drink, and while she sleeps, he sensually applies sunscreen on her back. Just as he is about to kiss her, Laure arrives, announcing she is pregnant and the wedding plans are set. Disgusted, Fanfan leaves. Later, Alexandre discovers that Laure lied about being pregnant, and they break up. He spots Fanfan boarding a bus to Italy but doesn’t chase after her. Ti warns him that Fanfan won’t wait forever. Determined, Alexandre rents the apartment next to hers and installs a two-way mirror to secretly watch her. Back from Italy, Fanfan surprises Alexandre by bringing Paul along on a weekend trip, making him jealous. Alexandre admits that Laure's pregnancy was a lie, but Fanfan says it’s too late. She pretends to be marrying Paul to provoke Alexandre. He discovers the truth through the two-way mirror—Fanfan is still in love with him. Fanfan confronts Alexandre, and he confesses that he didn’t chase the bus because he knew their relationship would eventually lose its spark. Fanfan gives him one last chance, telling him to come to her room by 10:00 pm or lose her forever. When he doesn't show up, she moves out, leaving a note that she’s going to see her sister. Alexandre is devastated when he learns from Maude that Fanfan’s sister is dead, implying Fanfan may be contemplating suicide. Just then, the mirror between them cracks, and Fanfan breaks through the barrier. They kiss, and Fanfan gives Alexandre until morning to win her back.

Cast

as Fanfan * Vincent Perez as Alexandre * Marine Delterme as Laure * Gérard Séty as Ti * Bruno Todeschini as Paul * Micheline Presle as Maude * Gérard Caillaud as Le père de Laure *

Thierry Lhermitte Thierry Lhermitte (; born 24 November 1952) is a French actor, director, writer and producer, best known for his comedic roles. He was a founder of the comedy troupe ''Le Splendid'' in the 1970s, along with, among others, Christian Clavier, Géra ...

Reception

Box office

The film topped the

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...

on its opening weekend in France, playing at 204 screens and selling 188,577 admissions. In its opening week it grossed 6,341,843

French franc The franc (; , ; currency sign, sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as the (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amoun ...

($1.1 million). In total the film sold 1,020,679 tickets after its run in French theaters.

Critical response

''Fanfan'' received mixed reviews. In his review in ''Films de France'', James Travers found the first half of the film "unconvincing and painfully superficial in places," but thought the film improved significantly in the second half:

References

;Citations ;Bibliography *

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, fanfan, Fanfan * Fanfan at FANFAN.ba accessories 1993 films French romantic comedy films Films set in France Films shot in France 1990s French-language films 1990s French films 1993 romantic comedy films Gaumont (company) films