MOVIE REVIEW

Cyrano

Release Date: December 17, 2021 (Los Angeles)

February 25, 2022 (wide)

Rating:  PG-13 (suggestive material, some strong violence, brief language, thematic material)

Historical figure Cyrano de Bergerac has been the subject of countless entertainment offerings over the years, the latest of which is the film Cyrano, directed by Joe Wright (The Woman in the Window, Pride & Prejudice) and starring Peter Dinklage in the title role.

Wright brings us an aesthetically pleasing re-imagining of this love triangle, with beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett) and Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) at two vertices, and Cyrano’s unrequited amorous admiration at the third vertex.      

This romantic, dramatic musical has much to offer in both sight and sound, from the crisp dialogue by screenwriter Erica Schmidt to the captivating cinematography of Seamus McGarvey.  Bennett is a talented actress and singer, and she is compelling in each of her scenes.  As Cyrano longs for Roxanne’s love, I found myself longing for more of an obvious chemistry between Bennett and Dinklage, each of whom are fine performers individually.  Alas, it wasn’t until the fateful conclusion that such chemistry was apparent.