Roxanne
(1987)
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Small-town fire chief C.D. Bales (Steve Martin, in a wonderfully skillful verbal and physical performance) is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary nose. Astronomer Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah) has just come to his town of Nelson, Washington in order to get away from the city and to get a clearer view of a comet she is tracking. When both Bales and a handsome-but-slow fireman fall in love with Roxanne, Bales supplies the words while the other supplies the kisses. Includes a great cast of small-town characters played by among others, Michael J. Pollard and Shelley Duvall. Based on "Cyrano De Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand, this warm romantic comedy is one of Martin's best. |
This is surely the pinnacle of Steve Martin's career so far. Nimbly adapted by Martin himself (for which he won the American Writers' Guild prize) from the celebrated Edmond Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac, this is romantic comedy as it used to be, with Martin playing CD Bales, the nasally gifted fire chief who falls for heavenly stargazer Daryl Hannah. Directed by Fred Schepisi (Plenty, Fierce Creatures), Roxanne is remarkably faithful to Rostand's original work, cleverly transplanting the action from 17th-century Paris to present-day small-town America, and imbuing the sensitive CD Bales with considerable duelling skills. From the moment he swashbuckles with a tennis racket, it's clear Martin is on peak form, excelling himself during the hilarious nose-jokes sequence. The respected American critic Pauline Kael detected in Martin's portrayal a touch of Buster Keaton and WC Fields, with just a dash of the graceful Fred Astaire added for good measure. Indeed, Martin's firefighters also recall some past movie greats, the Keystone Kops, although the general air of incompetent shirking also puts you in mind of Will Hay and his inimitable sidekicks Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott. Similarly, the performance of Michael J Pollard begs comparison with the bumbling fireman of music-hall star Robb Wilton. Schepisi keeps the action as buoyant as Martin's performance, while also coaxing a deliciously doltish turn from Rick Rossovich, who woos Hannah using Martin's eloquence.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Zany modernization of Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, funny in spots but way overlong.