Roxanne
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Roxanne
Plot
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, RoviReview
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, RoviCast
- Steve Martin - Charlie C.D. Bales
- Daryl Hannah - Roxanne Kowalski
- Rick Rossovich - Chris McDonell
- Shelley Duvall - Dixie
- Michael J. Pollard - Andy
- Damon Wayans - Jerry
Credit
David Fischer - Art Director, Pennie Du Pont - Casting, Bruce Meldrum - Consultant/advisor, Richard Bruno - Costume Designer, Tish Monaghan - Costume Designer, Michael Steele - First Assistant Director, Fred Schepisi - Director, John Scott - Editor, Steve Martin - Executive Producer, Bruce Smeaton - Composer (Music Score), Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - Songwriter, Rick Boston - Songwriter, Terry Cox - Songwriter, Joe Curiale - Songwriter, Jeff Kent - Songwriter, Dan Navarro - Songwriter, Paul Pesco - Songwriter, Michael Westmore - Makeup, Jackson de Govia - Production Designer, Ian Baker - Cinematographer, Warren Carr - Production Manager, Daniel Melnick - Producer, Michael Rachmil - Producer, Kimberley Richardson - Set Designer, Bill Orr - Special Effects, Rob Young - Sound/Sound Designer, Joe Dunne - Stunts, John Wardlow - Stunts, Steve Martin - Screenwriter, Frank Warner - Supervising Sound Editor, Edmond Rostand - Play Author| Roxaboxen (1991 Film), Rowing with the Wind (1987 Film) | |
| Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer (1989 Film), Roxette: All Videos Ever Made and More - Complete Collection (Film) |
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Roxanne (film)
| Roxanne | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Fred Schepisi |
| Produced by | Steve Martin (executive producer) Michael I. Rachmil Daniel Melnick |
| Written by | Steve Martin |
| Starring | Steve Martin Daryl Hannah Rick Rossovich Shelley Duvall |
| Music by | Bruce Smeaton |
| Cinematography | Ian Baker |
| Editing by | John Scott |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 19, 1987 |
| Running time | 107 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $40,050,884 (Domestic)[1] |
Roxanne is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a modern retelling of Edmond Rostand's 1897 verse play Cyrano de Bergerac, adapted by Steve Martin and starring Martin and Daryl Hannah.
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Contents
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Plot summary
Charlie "C.D." Bales (Steve Martin) is the fire chief in a small American town in the Pacific Northwest. C.D. is witty, acrobatic and skilled at many things, but he has a very large nose about which he is violently sensitive. He falls in love with Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah), a beautiful astronomer, but she is infatuated with Chris (Rick Rossovich), a handsome but dim fireman. As in the play, Bales is touchy about his perceived ugliness (which he cannot have surgically altered because of a dangerous allergy to anesthetics) and speaks to the object of adoration the only way he can: he writes expressions of love in letter form and allows Chris to present them to Roxanne as if they were his own.
Roxanne receives a letter from Chris telling her that he has left town and with another woman. C.D.'s friend Dixie reveals that the letters Roxanne thought were written by Chris were actually written for her by C.D. When C.D. arrives at her home in response to a call from her, she confronts him about the letters. C.D. and Roxanne then end up in an argument, she claiming that he was deceiving her and leading her on, while C.D. says that she wanted the perfect man who was both emotionally and physically beautiful.
In the end, C.D. and Roxanne forgive one another and Roxanne confesses her love for C.D. and his characteristic nose. She says that flat-nosed people are too boring and bland, and that his nose gives him character.
Other stories in the movie include C.D. dealing with the incompetence of his volunteer firemen (whom Chris was brought in to help train), the appearance of a new comet which Roxanne came to observe, and a cafe owner (Shelley Duvall) who is a friend to both C.D. and Roxanne.
Cast
- Steve Martin as Charlie Bales (C.D)
- Daryl Hannah as Roxanne Kowalski
- Rick Rossovich as Chris McConnell
- Shelley Duvall as Dixie
- John Kapelos as Chuck
- Fred Willard as Mayor Deebs
- Max Alexander as Dean
- Michael J. Pollard as Andy
- Steve Mittleman as Ralston
- Damon Wayans as Jerry
- Matt Lattanzi as Trent
- Ritch Shydner and Kevin Nealon as two intoxicated men that Charlie meets on the street
- Brian George as Dr. Dave Schepsi, a plastic surgeon
- Maureen Murphy as Cindy, the cosmetics girl
- Heidi Sorenson as Trudy, the Mayor's love interest
- Shandra Beri as Sandy, the bartender
Production
Roxanne was filmed in the summer of 1986 in the town of Nelson, British Columbia. Steve Martin chose to use the local fire hall on Ward Street as a primary set.
Reception
Critical response
Roxanne currently holds a 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus being: "Though its sweetness borders on sappiness, Roxanne is an unabashedly romantic comedy that remains one of Steve Martin's funniest".[2]
Roger Ebert hailed the film as a "gentle, whimsical comedy", giving it a 3 and half stars of four, also stating: "What makes "Roxanne" so wonderful is not this fairly straightforward comedy, however, but the way the movie creates a certain ineffable spirit".[3]
It is number 71# on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
Accolades
It has also won and has been nominated for a number of awards, including:[4]
- Golden Globe Award: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical: Steve Martin
- LAFCA Award: Won (Tied): Best Actor: Steve Martin (Tied with Jack Nicholson for Ironweed (1987) and The Witches of Eastwick (1987).
- NSFC Award: Won: Best Actor: Steve Martin
- WGA Award (Screen): Won: Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: Steve Martin
References to the play
- The historical Cyrano de Bergerac wrote of a journey to the Moon and to the Sun, and Roxanne alludes to this in a scene where C.D. jokes about UFOs and aliens. Additionally, that scene mirrors one in the play where Cyrano pretends to fall out of a tree to distract another wooer of Roxane.
- C.D. Bales has the same initials as Cyrano de Bergerac.
- The "20 Nose Insults" speech in the film mirrors a similar speech in the play
- C.D.'s position in the firefighters is similar to Cyrano's leadership of the Gascon Cadets.
- The spelling of Roxanne in the movie is not the same (Roxane) as the spelling of Cyrano de Bergerac's lover.
See also
References
- ^ "Roxanne at Box Office Mojo". http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=roxanne.htm. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Roger Ebert review of Roxanne
- ^ IMDb Awards list
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Roxanne (film) |
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