Moviegoer: Cyrano

We don’t sing during Cyrano, no, no, no

By Diana Beechener

Cyrano is in theaters only starting Feb. 25

Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage: I Care A Lot) is as quick with a word as he is with a blade. He’s made a reputation for himself as a dueling swordsman with panache (a word the original Cyrano play introduced into the English language). He’s had plenty of practice, as his smaller stature makes him the target of callous jibes and ridicule.

But Cyrano’s wit makes him beloved among French society and his grit makes him beloved among his fellow soldiers. Still, there is one thing Cyrano seems incapable of doing: Wooing the beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett: Hillbilly Elegy). Convinced she’s far too lovely to return his affections, Cyrano remains just her friend.

Then, Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.: The Trial of the Chicago 7) shows up. Handsome Christian immediately wins Roxanne’s heart and she begs Cyrano to look after him. Heartbroken, Cyrano agrees only to find that while Christian is smitten with Roxanne, he can’t express his feelings to save his life.

Thus, a plan is hatched. Cyrano agrees to woo Roxanne in Christian’s name, writing passionate love letters to her. Roxanne is floored, gushing to Cyrano about the brilliance and beauty of her true love. But what will happen when Christian and Roxanne finally meet? Will Christian’s beauty overcome Cyrano’s words? Or is Roxanne in love with the man behind the letters?

The story of Cyrano and the sweeping romance around the original Edmond Rostand play has held audiences captive for centuries. The best adaptation of the story on film, for this critic’s money, is still the Steve Martin vehicle Roxanne, which you can check out on Hulu. At least this version of the tale starts with invention, even if it falters in execution.

 First-time screenwriter Erica Schmidt makes the cunning choice to change Cyrano’s physical difference from having a giant nose to simply being a person of short stature, enabling Dinklage to take over the role, infusing it with sex appeal and charm. Schmidt, who is married to Dinklage, originally adapted the play for her husband in an off-Broadway production. Though the idea is certainly sound—Dinklage is a wonderful, charismatic presence—the film itself is a bit of a flop.

 Director Joe Wright (The Woman in the Window) is an odd choice for such a lush subject matter. Wright is the Pottery Barn of filmmakers—he makes serviceable pieces but they’re all very beige. While Wright longs for the spectacle of Baz Luhrmann (Ben Mendelsohn’s song is such a rip-off of the evil Duke’s song in Moulin Rouge there should be an acknowledgement of theft in the credits), he’s not capable of pulling it off. There’s no vim or vigor, certainly no panache in the way this movie is put together. Shot in the beautiful streets of Sicily, the visuals are all there, but the emotions are not. Scenes feel empty, dancing listless, and the singing…my god, the singing.

 The songs are mediocre, conceived from the artists behind the rock band The National. Worse yet, when the songs start, the movie stops. Dinklage, for his incredible talent, can’t sing at all. His vocals are shaky and tense. Cyrano, whose great recommending feature is his talent and wit, falters every time that obnoxious backing track begins to play. It doesn’t show emotional vulnerability so much as poor mixing and auto-tune. Bennett can sing, in that airy ingénue style that’s more suggestion than substance, but there’s little point when the songs are so forgettable.

The only person who acquits themselves well in song is Glen Hansard, of Once fame. He’s got a cameo singing a verse in a single song. It’s the only emotionally moving musical moment, and it’s from an unnamed soldier, not the leads in one of literature’s most famous tragic romances.

Still, if you can stomach the music, and the singing, there is something grand at the core of Cyrano. Dinklage’s incredibly expressive face and his talent for sword fighting make him an absolute dream of a lead for this project. If only they’d left the karaoke for the film’s afterparty.

Fair Musical * PG-13 * 122 mins.