- Title: Roxanne
- IMDb: link
Cyrano de Bergerac, the 19th Century play by Edmond Rostand, has been adapted more than two dozen times over the years for film and television (including a new version starring Peter Dinklage). By far, my favorite take on the story of the remarkable man with wit, cunning, athleticism, the heart of a poet, and an comedically large nose that keeps him from sharing his affections with the one he loves, came in the form of 1987’s Roxanne released in theaters 35 years ago.
Steve Martin stars as Charlie “C.D.” Bales, the fire chief of one of the most inept fire departments in the country. Into his life walks Roxanne (Daryl Hannah), far more than a pretty face, as a beautiful astronomy PhD student renting a home in the small town from C.D.’s god-daughter Dixie (Shelley Duvall) while mending a broken heart and searching the stars for a comet.
The meet-cute could hardly be better as Roxanne locks herself out of the house, naked, and heads to the fire station where C.D. gladly assists. While the pair strike up an instant friendship, Roxanne is oblivious to Charlie’s more romantic feelings as she falls for the new fire fighter in the station, the handsome but insecure, and not terribly bright, Chris (Top Gun‘s Rick Rossovich).
Along with Dixie, who will play a key role in revealing the truth to Roxanne late in the film, the town offers several fun side characters including Fred Willard as the ridiculous mayor who nearly gets the town’s mascot roasted alive, John Kapelos as the obnoxious ladies man, and Michael J. Pollard as the shy Andy who is indirectly responsible for Roxanne believing Chis is initially smarter than he appears. All three characters are also part of the volunteer fire department. We also get Shandra Beri as the local bartender who steals a moment here and there enjoying the fun and works as a catalyst for the climax of the film.
As in the play, C.D. begins writing letters to Roxanne on behalf of Chris, expressing his own feelings and wooing her for another man without ever really contemplating what he’s doing. Mixed in with the story are several fun comedic moments for Martin around the town including his interactions with the fire fighters, a terrific bar scene showing up a drunken bully, a fun bit involving a newspaper, and convincing a group of older woman that aliens have landed and are looking for sex. The movie also works in Cyrano’s sword fighting with an impromptu version of tennis on the sidewalk early in the film.
Martin and Hannah are traffic here, and it’s easy to root for these two to eventually get together. Despite it’s overly comedic tone, these are warm and charming characters in search of love. And since we’re dealing with comedy rather than tragedy, the more lighthearted take on the story allows for a happier ending. Rossovich shows some comedic chops here in a role that could be easy to dislike but his shyness and the friendships he creates at the station help ground him as a good guy who doesn’t ever suspect what he’s getting himself into when he first asks Charlie for help writing to Roxanne. Taken together, the results are poetic.
