Cyrano (2021)

I have loved this movie since I saw the play in the 1960's with Richard Chamberlain playing Cyrano. Admittedly, I got off to a great start with it, but it is a play that is often produced, and film versions abound as well. The basic story is that Roxanne, a beautiful girl, wants a handsome beau, but also one with some substance. She is childhood friends with Cyrano, who is a gifted poert, but is handicapped with a large proboscis, and while he loves Roxanne, she sees it as strictly platonic. She falls for Christian, a love at first sight sort of situation, but he is just a pretty face, and for reasons that are hard to untangle, Cyrano helps Christian woo her, his words and Christian's looks, and she is a sitting duck. Reconsidering this, it is unfair to everyone involved, and only goes to reinforce stereotypes with a tragic undercurrent. Christian quickly realizes that he cannot do it alone, and when push comes to shove, he urges Cyrano to reveal his true feelings--which he is loathe to do. In this version, Cyrano is a dwarf and the whole thing works brilliantly. Highly recommend this version, despite all the singing, which I am not a huge fan of.