Saturday, February 9, 2019

Ten Great Valentine Movies #6—"Roxanne"


What It's About:
A modern retelling of the literary classic Cyrano d'Bergerac, Roxanne features Steve Martin as C.D. Bales, the chief of an inept volunteer fire department in a Colorado ski resort town. He encounters Roxanne, played by Daryl Hannah at her most luminous, a grad student in astronomy who steals his heart at first sight. C.D., however, suffers from an unusually large and long nose, so he's hesitant to ask her out. His hesitation opens the door for Chris (Rick Rossovich), a gorgeous firefighter who's dumber than a fire hydrant. Just as in the novel, C.D. speaks his own words of love to Roxanne, but he gives the credit to Chris out of friendship, even as his heart burns for his true love.

Why It's Worth Watching:
It's Steve Martin at his very best—wry, clever, charming, understated, an oh-so-romantic. All the supporting performances are quirky and funny, as are the actors who fill the roles, such as Shelly Duvall, Fred Willard, Michael J. Pollard, and many other familiar faces. The scene in the bar where a drunk lazily insults C.D. with "big nose" prompts him to come up with 20 "something better" insults. Count them yourself...it's 26 in reality, and they're all laugh out loud hilarious.

What's in it for Her:
Chris is certainly firefighter pinup calendar handsome and hunky, but women will also relate to the idea that looks can only go so far. What really resonates in romantic terms is a true and open heart with the capability to express love and infatuation and lust in such honest, straightforward, and brilliant words. Speaking as a man who married way out of his league in the looks department, what makes a woman feel true love is more about how we make her feel rather than how we look—a fact I'm always grateful for!

What's in it for Him:
Roxanne is a truly funny movie from beginning to end. I don't know many people who aren't Steve Martin fans, and this is a comic showcase for his talents from beginning to end. It's the kind of dry comedy that made me lukewarm on his stand-up act when I was too young to understand how witty his jokes are. One of my favorites is when C.D. informs Roxanne that they gave up on irony in the ski town as a result of people skiing naked while high on weed...he was the only one who used it, and no one else understood him. That's comic gold right there!

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