8 Reasons to Love Roxanne Starring Steve Martin
May 5 Blu-ray Release for Romantic Comedy About Big-Nosed Fireman
Apr 20, 2009
In this updated version of Cyrano de Bergerac, a physically unattractive man (Steve Martin) with a keen intellect woos a woman (Daryl Hannah) vicariously through his dumb, but handsome, co-worker (Rick Rossovich).
The Story of Roxanne
C.D. Bales (Martin) runs the local fire department in a small town, sniffing out fires with his greatly over-sized nose. Deathly allergic to anesthetic, he fantasizes about getting rhinoplasty to fix his profile. His good friend, Dixie (Shelley Duvall), owns the most popular restaurant in town, so when he’s not putting out fires, he’s hanging around with Dixie telling stories and cracking jokes.
Extremely lonely, but too self-conscious about his nose to initiate any romantic relationships, C.D. devotes all his efforts to running the fire department, despite his pitiful group of dim-witted volunteers. Everything changes for the town, and especially for C.D., when Roxanne (Hannah), a beautiful astronomer rents a house nearby so she can observe a new comet, and Chris (Rossovich), a good-looking fire expert joins C.D.’s staff.
While Roxanne seems a good balance of brains and beauty, she apparently needs two men (C.D.’s brains and Chris’s beauty) to find her perfect match. This unusual love triangle produces highly memorable movie moments blending comedy, drama, and romance.
Eight Reasons to Love Roxanne
- Once they get past the nose, women will swoon at C.D.’s ability to express his loving feelings through words.
- Anyone with a sense of humor will enjoy C.D.’s variety of nose jokes. Who knew noses could be so funny?
- The motley crew working at the firehouse represents some truly inspired casting. This colorful band of misfits includes Michael J. Pollard, Damon Wayans, and Steve Mittleman.
- It's great fun watching people get what they deserve (good and bad), and in Roxanne that’s the way things ultimately turn out.
- Hannah and Rossovich look stunning together, although their characters find themselves terribly incompatible.
- Chris's anxiety problem (shy around women) and Roxanne’s goofiness (she locks herself out of the house naked) help knock these beautiful specimens down a peg or two. Their weaknesses also make for some funny situations throughout the movie. C.D.’s quick wit and fondness for teasing old ladies also provide lots of laughs.
- Underneath the humor, lies a clever and touching story. Like beauty, the subject of the movie, the film itself is multi-layered with hidden treasures for those who like to dig beneath the surface.
- Martin executive produced the film, and wrote the screenplay based on the stage play by Edmond Rostand. Martin won an award from the Writers Guild of America for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, a Best Actor Award from the National Society of Film Critics, and a Best Actor Award from the Los Angeles Film Critic Association.
Roxanne 1987 (Blu-ray)
- In this updated Cyrano de Bergerac story, a large-nosed fire chief meets a beautiful astronomer who sets his heart on fire.
- Starring Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Shelley Duvall, Rick Rossovich, Fred Willard, Michael J. Pollard, Damon Wayans
- Director: Fred Schepisi
- Discs: 1
- Run Time: 107 minutes
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: Blu-ray release on May 5, 2009
For more information about recent Blu-ray and DVD releases, read Best New DVD Releases for May 2009.
