Roxanne **** (1987, Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich, Shelley Duvall) – Classic Movie Review 6178

Director Fred Schepisi delightful 1987 comedy is the movie that finally allowed Steve Martin to sniff the sweet smell of success in Britain.

He both writes and stars in his own witty updating of Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac, with the main character now changed into C D Bales, a Washington State resort fire chief with a big nose pursuing Roxanne Kowalski (played by the delightful Daryl Hannah). Rick Rossovich plays Chris, the handsome simpleton for whom Bales ghost writes the love letters to Roxanne.

Schepisi’s heart-warming comedy romance is both very funny and charming, and proves a real winner thanks mainly to the brilliantly amusing Martin, who mixes slapstick and pathos to wondrous effect. But he has a lovely cast to back him up, also including Shelley Duvall as Dixie, John Kapelos as Chuck, Fred Willard as Mayor Deebs, Michael J Pollard, Damon Wayans, Matt Lattanzi and Kevin Nealon.

The town’s fire-fighters are played by Kapelos, Pollard, Wayans, Lattanzi, Max Alexander and Steve Mittleman.

Thirty years on, Roxanne still rocks.

Roxanne is directed by Fred Schepisi, runs 108 minutes, is released by Columbia, is written by Steve Martin, is shot by Ian Baker, is produced by Michael Rachmil and Daniel Melnick, is scored by Bruce Smeaton, and is designed by Jack DeGovia.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6178

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