Roxanne Synopsis: The large-nosed C.D. Bales is in love with the beautiful Roxanne; she falls for his personality but another man’s looks.
Steve Martin’s modern remake of Cyrano de Bergerac finds Cyrano as C.D. Bales as a fire chief in a small town. He’s well-liked, charming, and funny but self-conscious about his abnormally large nose (which can not be surgically altered due to his allergy to anesthesia).
When the beautiful Roxanne, a Ph.D. astronomy student, moves into town, C.D. falls for her. But she’s fallen for the local hunk and firefighter, Chris. Chris is not at all articulate when talking to women, so he convinces C.D. to help him out. C.D. begins to write letters to Roxanne about his feelings for her but has Chris sign them as his own. Of course, things become quite complicated to keep up the ruse.
Although I knew the story’s basic premise, this was my first viewing of Roxanne. I’ve really come to appreciate Steve Martin as an actor and comedian, as I’ve watched quite a few of his films lately. He’s endlessly charming in this movie as C.D. Bales, a man who is used to being stared at because of his nose (the prosthetics of which are pretty darn good!), and it’s clear he’s had a lifetime to produce witty, biting retorts for those who dare comment on it.
Daryl Hannah is luminous as the soft-spoken Roxanne, and the two have very lovely chemistry together. It’s easy enough to ignore the obvious plot holes – how does she not realize that’s C.D.’s voice?! – because it’s so fun to watch the whole scheme unfold. Rick Rossovich plays Chris, the man whom Roxanne falls for but is a bit of a lunkhead. Honestly, he was a goober, and it is evident that he was only physically interested in Roxanne. So it made sense in the story to use his appearance and C.D.’s intellect to woo Roxanne. Would this be considered catfishing these days?? I think so.
But it was 1987, and it’s a comedy, so I suppose we can let it slide for 107 minutes. Seeing Shelley Duvall as Dixie, one of C.D.’s closest friends, was also lovely. The rest of the cast might not have been as prominent, but they added to the movie in their own way – the bumbling firefighters (including Damon Wayans and John Kapelos) and Fred Willard as the Mayor. Kevin Nealon even shows up briefly at the beginning of the movie, which I believe marks his feature film debut.
The movie is briskly paced, and director Fred Schepisi does an excellent job of creating the close-knit atmosphere of Nelson, Washington, and the people living there. If you ask me, there’s just something more intimate and cozy about love stories taking place in a small town.
Roxanne is a whimsical comedy, and I canât accurately compare it to the play on which it’s based because Iâve never seen it, though I plan on seeing Cyrano (2022) soon. But for what it is, I think Steve Martin did a fine job with the screenplay, and many humorous moments play off of the romance. I found Roxanne to be enjoyable and entertaining and would recommend it to any rom-com lover.
Watched: 02/19/2022
Notable Song: Can This Be Love by Pamela Barlow and Janet Minto
