Cyrano (2021) Movie Review
Joe Wright has directed some of my favorite films including Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007). His next project, Cyrano, was especially interesting to me because it was a period piece musical. That’s right, it’s a musical! I was pleasantly surprised at the execution.
The plot is fairly straightforward. Cyrano (Peter Dinklage) is a master wordsmith as well as brilliant with a sword. He is close friends with Roxanne (Haley Bennett) who he is also secretly in love with. He is convinced she will never love him due to his appearance. When Roxanne experiences love at first sight with Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Cyrano agrees to help him woo Roxanne. Christian and Roxanne begin exchanging love letters, which are in fact written by Cyrano. Of course this eventually leads to problems when Christian has to interact with Roxanne in person.
This tale of love and loss is punctuated by songs and musical numbers. At first, the singing seems out of place in this more serious world. Think of a Jane Austen movie adaptation but with song and dance numbers interspersed throughout. It didn’t align well at first for me. But over time, the movie really won me over and even the singing seemed to flow with the story.
Much of that is due to the on screen presence of Peter Dinklage. Is there anything this man cannot do? He is entirely believable as a witty, romantic soldier who sings. It sounds improbable but Dinklage brings Cyrano to life with grace and charm. His chemistry with Bennett is remarkable. It’s easy to believe that they are old friends as their conversations flow freely and they tease each other lovingly.
Much of the movie is Cyrano pining after Roxanne while Roxanne wishes for a love worthy of her high intellect. There are several moving songs including “Madly” and “I Need More.” The latter is belted out by Bennett as she croons, “Don’t tell me you love me, I’ve heard that line before.” As you might’ve guessed, this movie has a lot of mushy moments that if delivered by lesser actors would have felt incredibly phony. But with Dinklage, Bennett, and Harrison we feel the power of love and the magic that can envelop those who succumb to it. Even the action sequences are marvelous, with Dinklage showing off his swordsmanship skills and proving he could be an action hero if someone were to give him the chance.
The overall message of Cyrano is to be brave enough to be yourself. And if you can do that, love will find you. It’s actually quite a beautiful message that just happens to be delivered in song form. Joe Wright proves he can direct a musical and make it just as impactful as his other non-singing movies. I’ll never doubt Wright’s abilities again after seeing Cyrano.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You like musicals
2. You like period pieces
3. You like sappy stories about love
