← Back to Reviews
in
This is a story of self-love. It has all the trappings of a typical romance: humor and poetry and saxaphones... and the best mood-lighting of all time. You know that hour
in the evening when the light turns gold and warms up everything in a rosy hue while the sky is turning a cool, dark azure? At least half of this movie happens during that hour. It's gorgeous.
But the point of it is that we all have something (or a few things) that we allow to stand as barriers to love. The main character, CD Barnes (played with aplomb by Steve Martin) has a gigundous nose. He believes that no woman will see past it. He believes this so firmly, that when he meets Roxanne, who views the world through her telescope, where his nose is indiscernable, he is completely willing to believe that she won't love him because of it. The thing he learns though, is that the thing that makes him different is the thing that makes him special. Just when it seems that CD's love for Roxanne will be squelched by his physiogamy, the whole town is saved by his extraordinary sense of smell. Once he learns to appreciate that part of himself that makes him unique, CD is finally ready to accept the love that Roxanne could easily have had for him all along. What a hopeful notion. No wonder they call this a 'feel good' movie.
The performances are a little uneven, suffering it seems from the director's failure to recognise the very point made above. Martin's performance is a classic blend of schtick and honesty. His physical humor brings the expected lightheartedness to the story but also pulls us in and makes us hope for CD. Darryl Hannah's Roxanne is not quite as sympathetic, but she has those moments when we see a bright, vulnerable woman. Rick Rossovich is the dumb-as-dirt object of confusion for Roxanne, the pretty boy that CD believes is what she really wants. (Nobody is listening when Roxanne says she hopes to meet someone with half a brain.) Rossovich is not quite up to the task, frankly. Oh, he's dumb, but he's so genuinely awkward in the role that he's barely tolerable. It's a serious "no contest" scenario, with this guy as Chris. Give me a George Clooney, and CD has someone to contend with, at least. And Shelley Duvall plays the Voice of Reason with heart and charm.
The writing is ok, though there's a bit of choppiness here and there. That scene where CD finally learns the value of his Buick-sized honker seems shoe-horned in, as does the lengthy scene where CD matches wits with a local bully in a pub.
All in all though, it's a very lovely story. Steve Martin's performance is highly relatable and it's a nice payoff when he finally gets the girl. (sorry if that spoiled it for any of you youngsters who were in diapers when this came out).
|
But the point of it is that we all have something (or a few things) that we allow to stand as barriers to love. The main character, CD Barnes (played with aplomb by Steve Martin) has a gigundous nose. He believes that no woman will see past it. He believes this so firmly, that when he meets Roxanne, who views the world through her telescope, where his nose is indiscernable, he is completely willing to believe that she won't love him because of it. The thing he learns though, is that the thing that makes him different is the thing that makes him special. Just when it seems that CD's love for Roxanne will be squelched by his physiogamy, the whole town is saved by his extraordinary sense of smell. Once he learns to appreciate that part of himself that makes him unique, CD is finally ready to accept the love that Roxanne could easily have had for him all along. What a hopeful notion. No wonder they call this a 'feel good' movie.
The performances are a little uneven, suffering it seems from the director's failure to recognise the very point made above. Martin's performance is a classic blend of schtick and honesty. His physical humor brings the expected lightheartedness to the story but also pulls us in and makes us hope for CD. Darryl Hannah's Roxanne is not quite as sympathetic, but she has those moments when we see a bright, vulnerable woman. Rick Rossovich is the dumb-as-dirt object of confusion for Roxanne, the pretty boy that CD believes is what she really wants. (Nobody is listening when Roxanne says she hopes to meet someone with half a brain.) Rossovich is not quite up to the task, frankly. Oh, he's dumb, but he's so genuinely awkward in the role that he's barely tolerable. It's a serious "no contest" scenario, with this guy as Chris. Give me a George Clooney, and CD has someone to contend with, at least. And Shelley Duvall plays the Voice of Reason with heart and charm.
The writing is ok, though there's a bit of choppiness here and there. That scene where CD finally learns the value of his Buick-sized honker seems shoe-horned in, as does the lengthy scene where CD matches wits with a local bully in a pub.
All in all though, it's a very lovely story. Steve Martin's performance is highly relatable and it's a nice payoff when he finally gets the girl. (sorry if that spoiled it for any of you youngsters who were in diapers when this came out).