Roxanne

Roxanne Information

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.

Plot

Charlie "C.D." Bales (Steve Martin), the fire chief of a small American town in the Pacific Northwest, is witty, acrobatic and skilled at many things, but he has a very large nose. He is attracted to newcomer Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah), an astronomer searching for a new comet, but she becomes infatuated with Chris (Rick Rossovich), a handsome but dim fireman who has just joined C.D.'s unit. As in the play, Bales is touchy about his most prominent feature (which he cannot have surgically altered because of a dangerous allergy to anesthetics).

When Chris bungles his budding relationship with Roxanne, he asks C.D. for help. Somewhat reluctantly, C.D. writes romantic love letters for Chris to pass off as his own. They prove irresistible, and Roxanne invites Chris to spend the night.

Chris, however, eventually becomes uncomfortable trying to meet Roxanne's intellectual expectations of him. He sends her a letter telling her that he has left town with another woman.

C.D.'s friend Dixie (Shelley Duvall) reveals to Roxanne who actually wrote the letters. When C.D. arrives at her home in response to her call, she confronts him. C.D. and Roxanne argue, she claiming that he was leading her on, while C.D. says that she wants the perfect man who is both emotionally and physically beautiful. In the end, C.D. and Roxanne forgive one another and Roxanne confesses her love for C.D.. She says that flat-nosed people are too boring and bland, and that his nose gives him character.

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 drunk 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
Jean Sincere as Nina

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".

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".

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:

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 Roxanne.

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.