Roxanne (1987)

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Directed by Fred Schepisi.

Starring Shelley Duvall, Michael J. Pollard, Rick Rossovich, Damon Wayans, Daryl Hannah, Steve Martin.

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This modernization of Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac casts Steve Martin as C. D. Bates, the fearless, quick-witted fire chief of a Washington State resort town. Bates' most trusted fireman is the handsome but tongue-tied Chris McDonell (Rick Rossovich). Both men are in love with the beautiful Roxanne Kowalski (Darryl Hannah), but Bates, adorned with a huge nose that makes Bob Hope look like Nanette Fabray, is convinced that he's too homely to win Roxanne's heart. Thus, in the self-sacrificing tradition of Cyrano de Bergerac, Bates courts Roxanne vicariously by feeding his rival Chris the proper romantic words and phrases. The inherent pathos in Roxanne is offset by moments of slapstick, notably the scene wherein C. D. Bates vanquishes a pair of hooligans with a tennis racket. Steve Martin himself is credited with the screenplay for Roxanne, though he generously cites Edmond Rostand as his inspiration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Roxanne
by JimBell in JimBell Blog

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"Roxanne (1987) stars a lithe Steve Martin as the fire chief (Charilie) with the incredibly long nose, and an anorexic Darryl Hannah as the gorgeous astrophysics student who falls for Chris, the handsome new guy on the fire crew. Because Chris is tongue-tied around women and because Charlie is smitten with the brainy astrophysicist, Charlie agrees to write love letters. They have a profound effect, but, of course, things get complicated. The thing that struck me most about this movie was how gentle it was. No over the top stuff, no post-modern absurdism, no nasty back-stabbing, no heavy political message underlying the comedy, no exteme anything. The gentle comedy gradually gets to you. Everyone will start to laugh at a different and probably unexpected point. I started to laugh when the fire truck turned out of the fire station and the unfastened stuff started to bounce down the street—just one of many references to classic comedy of the past. And the scene where Martin has t ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

A perfect vehicle for Steve Martin, this modern adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac works mostly because Martin plays his part with a rare combination of sweetness and zaniness. The big nose looks ridiculous on Martin, but he is nonetheless convincing as the small-town fire chief who helps his shy underling (Rick Rossovich) woo Roxanne (deliciously played by Daryl Hannah). Martin, an increasingly accomplished comedy writer, penned his own adaptation of the Edmond Rostand chestnut, and it's a thoroughly likeable film. Under the direction of Australian Fred Schepisi, Roxanne exceeded expectations in all respects, and it launched Martin onto a more mature, well-rounded career that blended his unique comedy gifts with dramatic talent and an ability to play romantic leads. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Tags: hillarious , profound , remake , SNLAlum , nuggets-in-the-pyrite
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