CYRANO

The songs add zilch to the narrative, are mostly bland and boring, and often stop the film's momentum in its tracks.

Like most movies by director Joe Wright Cyrano is a sumptuous visual spectacle.

From the exquisite period costumes to the wonderful makeup, from the smart choreography to the evocative cinematography, the movie effortlessly sucks you into the France of the 17th century, where poet Cyrano De Bergerac secretly pines for the fair Roxanne.

The lead role isn't portrayed by a big-nosed man this time but by the diminutive Peter Dinklage, who fits snugly into the part. Better still is Haley Bennett as Roxanne, a young woman whose beauty is only surpassed by her intelligence. Cyrano thus has a lot going for it, bar the one thing that makes it stand out from other adaptations.

This production is a musical and that ultimately is what lets the picture down. For the songs add zilch to the narrative, are mostly bland and boring, and often stop the film's momentum in its tracks. One exception is a scene wherein a troop of soldiers writes their final letters home, but this is a solitary highlight in a film that is easy to admire but hard to love.

release: 2021

director: Joe Wright

starring: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn