Ghislain Lambert's Bicycle

France / Belgium 2001, 93 minutes
Dir. Philippe Harel
In French with English subtitles
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama, Comedy

Topics: Sport.

Feat. Benoit Poelvoorde, Jose Garcia

Aroview: Less sports drama than celebration of the endearingly average, this comical biopic charts the 30-year career of big-hearted, but decidedly second-rate Belgian cyclist Ghislain Lambert.

With an emphasis on lively, physical humour and a winning performance by Benoit Poelvoorde (MAN BITES DOG) as would-be Tour de France champion, the film is a consistently upbeat watch despite its more routine sporting aspects. Still, with an uncommon awareness of cycling’s dark side (doping, corruption, race fixing) this isn’t all-together aloof, and should appease both spectators of professional cycling and low-key French comedies.