Roxanne (film)
Encyclopedia
Roxanne is a 1987 comedy film
directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a modern retelling of the 1897 verse play
Cyrano de Bergerac
, written by French
author Edmond Rostand
, and stars Steve Martin
and Daryl Hannah
.
. C.D. is witty, acrobatic and skilled at many things, but he has a very large nose about which he is violently sensitive. He falles in love with Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah), a beautiful astronomer, but she is infatuated with Chris (Rick Rossovich
), a handsome but dim fireman. As in the play, Bales is touchy about his perceived ugliness (which he cannot have surgically altered because of a dangerous allergy to anesthetics) and speaks to the object of adoration the only way he can: he writes expressions of love in letter form and allows Chris to present them to Roxanne as if they were his own.
Roxanne receives a letter from Chris telling her that he has both left town and left her for another woman. C.D.'s friend and god-sister Dixie reveals that the letters Roxanne thought were written by Chris were actually written for her by C.D. When C.D. arrives at her home in response to a call from her, she confronts him about the letters. C.D. and Roxanne then end up in an argument, she claiming that he was deceiving her and leading her on, while C.D. says that she wanted the perfect man who was both emotionally and physically beautiful.
In the end, C.D. and Roxanne forgive one another and Roxanne confesses her love for C.D. and his characteristic nose. She says that flat-nosed people are too boring and bland, and that his nose gives him character.
Other stories in the movie include C.D. dealing with the incompetence of his volunteer firemen (whom Chris was brought in to help train), the appearance of a new comet which Roxanne came to observe, and a cafe owner (Shelley Duvall
) who is a friend to both C.D. and Roxanne.
. Steve Martin chose to use the local fire hall on Ward Street as a primary set.
It also currently holds a 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Roger Ebert hailed the film as a, "gentle, whimsical comedy", giving it a 3.5/4, saying,
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a modern retelling of the 1897 verse play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....
, written by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
author Edmond Rostand
Edmond Rostand
Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...
, and stars Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
and Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
.
Plot summary
Charlie Bales (C.D) (Steve Martin), the fire chief in a small American town in the Pacific NorthwestPacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. C.D. is witty, acrobatic and skilled at many things, but he has a very large nose about which he is violently sensitive. He falles in love with Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah), a beautiful astronomer, but she is infatuated with Chris (Rick Rossovich
Rick Rossovich
Rick Rossovich is an American actor.Rossovich was born Frederic Enrico Rossovich in Palo Alto, California. His brother, Tim Rossovich, is a former professional football player and also an actor.-Career:...
), a handsome but dim fireman. As in the play, Bales is touchy about his perceived ugliness (which he cannot have surgically altered because of a dangerous allergy to anesthetics) and speaks to the object of adoration the only way he can: he writes expressions of love in letter form and allows Chris to present them to Roxanne as if they were his own.
Roxanne receives a letter from Chris telling her that he has both left town and left her for another woman. C.D.'s friend and god-sister Dixie reveals that the letters Roxanne thought were written by Chris were actually written for her by C.D. When C.D. arrives at her home in response to a call from her, she confronts him about the letters. C.D. and Roxanne then end up in an argument, she claiming that he was deceiving her and leading her on, while C.D. says that she wanted the perfect man who was both emotionally and physically beautiful.
In the end, C.D. and Roxanne forgive one another and Roxanne confesses her love for C.D. and his characteristic nose. She says that flat-nosed people are too boring and bland, and that his nose gives him character.
Other stories in the movie include C.D. dealing with the incompetence of his volunteer firemen (whom Chris was brought in to help train), the appearance of a new comet which Roxanne came to observe, and a cafe owner (Shelley Duvall
Shelley Duvall
Shelley Alexis Duvall is an American film and television actress best known for her roles in The Shining, Popeye, Thieves Like Us and 3 Women....
) who is a friend to both C.D. and Roxanne.
Cast
- Steve MartinSteve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
as Charlie Bales (C.D) - Daryl HannahDaryl HannahDaryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
as Roxanne Kowalski - Rick RossovichRick RossovichRick Rossovich is an American actor.Rossovich was born Frederic Enrico Rossovich in Palo Alto, California. His brother, Tim Rossovich, is a former professional football player and also an actor.-Career:...
as Chris McConnell - Shelley DuvallShelley DuvallShelley Alexis Duvall is an American film and television actress best known for her roles in The Shining, Popeye, Thieves Like Us and 3 Women....
as Dixie - John KapelosJohn KapelosJohn Kapelos is a Canadian actor from London, Ontario. He is best known for his portrayals of janitor Carl Reed in The Breakfast Club and Detective Donald Schanke in Forever Knight....
as Chuck - Fred WillardFred WillardFred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
as Mayor Deebs - Max Alexander as Dean
- Michael J. PollardMichael J. Pollard- Early life :Born Michael John Pollack, Jr. in Passaic, New Jersey, he is the son of Sonia and Michael John Pollack. He attended the Montclair Academy and the Actors Studio.- Career :...
as Andy - Steve Mittleman as Ralston
- Damon WayansDamon WayansDamon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
as Jerry - Matt LattanziMatt LattanziMatt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
as Trent - Ritch ShydnerRitch ShydnerRitch Shydner is an American stand-up comedian, comic writer, and actor.-Early life:Shydner was born in the small town of Pennsville, New Jersey. He studied business and sociology at Gettysburg College. At Gettysburg College he and sidekick, Camillo "Mad-Dog" Melchiorre, wrote, produced and...
and Kevin NealonKevin NealonKevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
as two intoxicated men that Charlie meets on the street - Brian GeorgeBrian GeorgeBrian George is a British-Israeli actor and voice actor for Indian accents, who typically plays guest roles for characters of South Asian descent. Perhaps his most famous role is as Pakistani restaurateur Babu Bhatt on Seinfeld.-Early life:...
as Dr. Dave Schepsi, a plastic surgeon - Maureen MurphyMaureen MurphyMaureen Murphy was a politician in Illinois and a Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party from 2002 to 2004. She was the first woman to hold that position.-Life:...
as Cindy, the cosmetics girl - Heidi Sorenson as Trudy, the Mayor's love interest
- Shandra Beri as Sandy, the bar tender
Production
The movie was filmed in the summer of 1986 in the town of Nelson, British ColumbiaNelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...
. Steve Martin chose to use the local fire hall on Ward Street as a primary set.
Critical response
This film is number 71 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".It also currently holds a 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Though its sweetness borders on sappiness, Roxanne is an unabashedly romantic comedy that remains one of Steve Martin's funniest."-Rottentomatoes.com Consensus on Roxanne
Roger Ebert hailed the film as a, "gentle, whimsical comedy", giving it a 3.5/4, saying,
"What makes "Roxanne" so wonderful is not this fairly straightforward comedy, however, but the way the movie creates a certain ineffable spirit."-Roger Ebert
Accolades
It has also won and been nominated for a number of awards, including:- Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical: Steve Martin - LAFCA AwardLos Angeles Film Critics AssociationThe Los Angeles Film Critics Association was founded in 1975. Its main purpose is to present yearly awards to members of the film industry who have excelled in their fields. These awards are presented each January...
: Won (Tied): Best Actor: Steve Martin (Tied with Jack NicholsonJack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
for IronweedIronweed (film)Ironweed is a 1987 film directed by Argentine-born Brazilian Héctor Babenco.The picture is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by William Kennedy and concerns the relationship of a homeless couple: Francis, an alcoholic, and Helen, a terminally ill woman during the Great...
(1987) and The Witches of EastwickThe Witches of Eastwick (film)The Witches of Eastwick is a 1987 American horror comedy based on John Updike's novel of the same name. Directed by George Miller, the film stars Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne, alongside Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer as the eponymous witches...
(1987). - NSFC Award: Won: Best Actor: Steve Martin
- WGA AwardWriters Guild of America AwardThe Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
(Screen): Won: Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: Steve Martin