Most romance movies today don’t sweep audiences off their feet like we see happening to the couples on screen. But Cyrano, the beautifully strange and wholly entertaining new movie musical from Universal Pictures, bucks that trend with stylish swashbuckling.
If you don’t know the famous Cyrano de Bergerac, the story is of a love triangle between soldier/poet Cyrano (in this version, Peter Dinklage of Game of Thrones fame) too afraid to confess his love for Roxanne (Haley Bennett) because of his physical appearance. Instead, he plays wingman, ghostwriting letters so young soldier Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) can woo her instead.
This newest film version, directed by Joe Wright, falls heavy on the romance and soulfulness of both the story and its star, which wisely mirrors what Cyrano knows (and chooses for himself) to be true. That’s a fine line to walk the film happily finds.
True, this isn’t the first time Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play has been adapted for the screen, nor is it the first time it’s been adapted into a musical - there’s another version with the same title that opened on Broadway in 1973 starring Christopher Plummer as the title character and winning him a Tony Award.
But this version is played with a tremendous amount of vulnerability and conviction from the entire cast, even amidst the sudden singing and dancing. There’s not a whit of satire in the whole film, which makes watching the story tremendously stirring. The only time this story has come close to emotionally investing me was the 2019 stage show at Niagara’s Shaw Festival.
Peter Dinklage isn’t a trained singer, though he sings the part tenderly and succeeds in making us believe in speech, song and poetry that this is Cyrano’s true voice. He played the part in a 2018 stage version of this film’s script, and yes, his connection to the project is because his real-life wife Erica Schmidt wrote the show and screenplay.
Even so, Dinklage is perfect for this part. His stunt work, swordplay, musical talent, and masterful acting finesse make him already suited for the role. Changing Cyrano’s insecurity from a large nose to instead be his physical size (like Dinklage's height) is a brilliant transformation that suits the story perfectly.
The concept of musicalizing the story works well. The only thing that impedes are the songs from the band The National. The music is elegant and thoughtful, but the sung lyrics don’t match the seamlessness of the screenplay. Rhyme patterns are clunky and ill-timed like modern pop instead of 19th century poetry.
The fabulous direction, production design and cast are much better than the lousy lyrics they have to sing, however well they perform the material. It’s a better movie than it is musical, even with a superb score and script.
From a business perspective, I’m baffled why this wasn’t released two weeks ago so it could play in theatres for Valentine’s Day. This is the ultimate romance, and it’s an excellent film to boot. (The reason, it turns out, was so there would be less competition for another romance, Marry Me, also distributed by Universal.)
These are small hiccups in an otherwise perfect performance. Cyrano is playing now, and it’s the most romantic movie I can remember since theatres re-opened last year. Like Cyrano sings of his love, “I was overcome.”
Cyrano
8 out of 10
PG, 2hrs 4mins. Romance Drama Musical.
Directed by Joe Wright.
Starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Ben Mendelsohn.
Now Playing at Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
