Roxanne
"It's not the size of the nose that matters; it's what's inside that counts!”
CD Bales (Steve Martin) is just your average small town fire chief. That is, if your average small town fire chief is clever, charismatic, verbose, witty, extremely well-read, incredibly acrobatic, and has an absurdly long nose—not your typical leading man. His days are filled babysitting his bumbling volunteer firefighters, that is until Roxanne (Daryl Hanna) comes knocking on his door literally naked. After rescuing Roxanne, the two spark up a kinship. When the new probationary fireman, the strikingly handsome but dim Chris (Rick Rossovich) arrives in town, the final piece of our love triangle falls into place.
Steve Martin’s script, a modern retelling of Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, is expertly crafted by the comedic genius and writer of over a dozen films. His re-envisioning captures the heart of the story: the charming and smart protagonist whose physical oddity keeps him constantly doubting himself, the attractive-yet-dimwitted comrade whom he helps, and the beautiful girl who wants to find true love but also wants to find an intellectual equal. Martin brilliantly peppers the film with amusing situations—like hilarious firefighter training exercises, CD flirting with the old ladies in town, and even a self-deprecating moment when he’s challenged to make fun of his own appearance—all while building up the tension of the love triangle.
Roxanne is all about following your heart and your mind. It’s not about the physicality of a relationship. Well, not for CD at least. It’s about the chemistry of when you find the one. It should feel right and that you shouldn’t have to work so hard just to make it work. The film explores the foundation of most relationships; discovering what usually bring two souls together--the spark that ignites the flames doesn't always keep them together. Will the fire still burn once the kindling has been consumed? Everyone needs to find their equal and CD is no different.
Film Geek Footnotes:
CD Bales (Steve Martin) is just your average small town fire chief. That is, if your average small town fire chief is clever, charismatic, verbose, witty, extremely well-read, incredibly acrobatic, and has an absurdly long nose—not your typical leading man. His days are filled babysitting his bumbling volunteer firefighters, that is until Roxanne (Daryl Hanna) comes knocking on his door literally naked. After rescuing Roxanne, the two spark up a kinship. When the new probationary fireman, the strikingly handsome but dim Chris (Rick Rossovich) arrives in town, the final piece of our love triangle falls into place.
Roxanne is all about following your heart and your mind. It’s not about the physicality of a relationship. Well, not for CD at least. It’s about the chemistry of when you find the one. It should feel right and that you shouldn’t have to work so hard just to make it work. The film explores the foundation of most relationships; discovering what usually bring two souls together--the spark that ignites the flames doesn't always keep them together. Will the fire still burn once the kindling has been consumed? Everyone needs to find their equal and CD is no different.
Film Geek Footnotes:
- At one point in the film a character is talking to Chris about Roxanne's surname being odd and says "It's Kazanski or something like that." Iceman Kazanski was Val Kilmer's character in Top Gun which also starred Rick Rossovich.
- One of the crowning jewels of Steve Martin's work as a screenwriter - comedic or dramatic - the Academy failed to recognize the brilliance in his adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. Thankfully, it did not go unnoticed by the Writer's Guild of America, where it won the Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
Comments
Post a Comment