Recovered Classic: Roxanne


Steve Martin’s undulating screen career has had more ups and downs than a pair of Ewan McGregor’s pants. The peaks (All of Me, The Man With Two Brains, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, Planes, Trains & Automobiles) have been unforgettable, while the less said about the duds (Sgt Bilko, The Out-of-Towners, Mixed Nuts) the better.

Made during Martin’s golden streak during the late 1980s, Roxanne effortlessly slides into the former category, a sparkling, witty and sweet-natured comedy which sees Martin himself (credited as writer) update Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac for a modern cinema audience.

Martin takes the central role as small town fire chief C.D. Bales (note the nod to the original character), whose outstanding facial feature (his nose) stands out much further than he’d like. Naturally, he’s highly self-conscious, ever wary of curious gawpers and not averse to the idea of getting surgery (one particular visit to see the doctor is hysterical). But he also happens to be fiercely intelligent, extremely charming, highly amusing and a natural romantic. So when gorgeous astronomer Daryl Hannah comes to town, he falls for her immediately, hoping that she in return will be dazzled by his wit and personality, not put off by his super-sized snout.

It doesn’t quite work out that way, however, because while they become firm friends (both crave the company of a fine mind), romance doesn’t appear to be an option, especially when she sets her eyes on handsome-but-dim Rick Rossovich, Martin’s newest firefighter, who ends up romancing Hannah through a combination of his own hunky good looks and the chivalrous Martin’s winning way with words.

All of this sets up one of the movie’s two extended set pieces, when the bumbling and shallow Rossovich attempts to woo Hannah—with an unseen Martin prompting him from the sidelines. Their first attempt via a concealed radio link comes a cropper, leaving C.D. no choice but to whisper lines to him while hiding in the bushes. It’s an inherently hilarious premise, but there’s also an aching sadness to the scene, because Martin is using his delightful poetry to help another man capture the woman of his dreams. Yet that’s the beauty of the sublime script, which is layered with so much subtlety and poetic detail that director Fred Schepisi had a wonderful launch pad from which to craft his terrifically entertaining and endlessly amusing romantic comedy.

Because while Martin’s the undoubted star, Schepisi makes a vital contribution, depicting the town of Nelson as a sort of enchanted world inhabited by oddballs and eccentrics, notably the fire brigade, who are a cartoon cavalcade of lovable bumblers. He emphasizes this otherworldly quality by shooting from jaunty angles, his camera always looking for slopes and inclines in an effort to present the view that everything in Nelson is slightly askew. But through it all, Martin is never too far away from the center of attention in a town where he’s accepted for what he is, which is basically their natural leader and an all-round good guy, albeit one with an enormous hooter.

Indeed, his nose is almost a character in itself, becoming the center of a crowd-pleasing bar scene in which a lame put-down by an insensitive oaf ends up with C.D. being challenged to come up with 20 “something betters.” In other words, 20 more original (and funny) insults than “big nose.” Martin (as physically expressive as ever) inevitably brings the house down (trivia hounds might be interested to learn he actually comes up with 25) and as a scene, not only does it allow the actor to perform at his hilarious, show-stopping best, but it also puts across one of the film’s central themes, that one-of-a-kindness is special, not something to be ridiculed.

As whimsical comedies go, Roxanne is hard to beat. It’s irresistibly engaging, laugh-out-loud funny, crammed with quirky, likeable characters and in Martin features an incredibly gifted comic actor who’s at the top of his game. Heck, you even end up forgiving him for wearing white socks with black shoes!

David Lichtneker

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of Roxanne and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.