REVIEW — “Cyrano”

Cyrano is directed by Joe Wright, written by Erica Schmidt, and stars Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Ben Mendelsohn. This film tells the story of Cyrano de Bergerac as he pines for the affections of the beautiful Roxanne, who has fallen in love with another man named Christian de Neuvillette. Though Cyrano understands that his social status and physical appearance will forever keep him apart from his lady love, he offers his skills as a gifted poet to Christian in an effort to bring the two lovers together once and for all. Cyrano is a unique, stylish, and unique retelling of a classic story with beautiful cinematography and great performances.

Joe Wright directs this with an ease we don’t usually see from him. With one of the most inconsistent track records of any working director, he seems to only direct either Oscar contenders or critically panned disasters. I am happy to report this is more Atonement than Pan. Cyrano sees Wright at his most gleeful, directing these lavish sequences with an almost child-like wonder. This is a dazzling period piece epic and Wright is clearly at home here. I genuinely hope he directs another musical. He’s a regular Ridley Scott behind the camera.

Peter Dinklage shins as our titular hero, delivering yet another nuanced, yet powerful performance. He’s got a gravitas here, found in only the best of actors. This is clearly a project he cared deeply about, and it shines through in every frame. It’s a shame he got snubbed at this year’s Acadamy Awards. Haley Bennett also delivers a great performance as Roxanne and rising talent Kelvin Harrison Jr. continues to pique my interest as an actor. He’s got a great career ahead of him. Ben Mendelsohn also delivers another banging performance. Love that dude.

On a technical level, Cyrano is an immaculately crafted musical. With dazzling cinematography and exquisitely crafted musical numbers, this film lights up the screen. This falls into the cannon of post COVID movies that demand to be seen in theaters. In short, Cyrano is a wonderful movie with great music, excellent performances, and some striking filmmaking. 4/5