...steal from the best. And the best is Rostrand's Cyrano de Bergerac. I generally like Steve Martin's light-footed take on Rostrand's classic. The cast is jam-packed with talented character actors, and an appropriately handsome Rick Rossovich in the role of Christian. Daryl Hannah is refreshingly not dingy or dumb as the eponymous lead, and Steve Martin manages to give us a glimpse of the great soul that resides behind the ridiculous nose. But the biggest problem with this movie IS the nose. Plastic surgery was not an option back in Rostrand's day, but it certainly is now. This is breezed over by a reference that C.D. is allergic to anesthesia. I think any man with a nose that outlandish would probably do it under local anesthetics or a stiff drink. Cyrano refers to the "mockery behind the smile" in the women he meets, but we don't see that same torment in C.D. This is a comedy, though, without the sweet tragedy at the bottom that the original source has, so that's OK. What people are loving here is the basic story - what we all want to know - "Am I loved for myself?" If you love this movie, do yourself a favor and watch the French "Cyrano" with Gerard Depardieu. To me that's the definitive version. You'll then see how this movie pleasantly compares.
