What can be said about a movie which takes a famous love story and completely updates it for modern times, creating a new, yet utterly classic tale. Steve Martin's 1987 classic, Roxanne, which has just been released to Blu-ray, not only makes its influences quite obvious, but manages to create a heartwarming, hysterical, story all its own.
Directed by Fred Schepisi (Mr. Baseball), the film really is Martin's, he not only stars (playing C.D. Bales), he served as executive producer on the film and wrote the screenplay. Acting opposite Martin is Daryl Hannah in the titular role, and Rick Rossovich as Chris, the attractive lug whom C.D. has to help woo Roxanne.
This update of Cyrano de Bergerac takes place in small Colorado town amidst a lovable group of oddball locals, including Bales' best friend played by Shelley Duvall. Roxanne finds herself in town for the summer studying astronomy as does Chris (Rossovich), a professional firefighter, helping Bales (the fire chief) put together a workable crew.
The story is a well-known and well-worn one — Chris uses Bales' words and his own looks in order to woo Roxanne to great effect. However, by the end of the film — it is a romantic comedy after all — everything works itself out and Bales and Roxanne fall forever in love.
From the start of the film through all but the end of the final act, the film is filled with humor of the type only Steve Martin at his best can deliver. His C.D. Bales is charming and witty and wise and terribly flawed, both with his large nose and the way his shnoz has caused him to approach the world. It is a cross he has had to bear, an albatross around his neck which he has allowed himself to be weighed down by. He cannot approach Roxanne for love because he believes that due to his nose no one will ever love him. It is a pain he deals with by turning to humor and anger both, and sometimes the two together.
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