Direction: Joe Wright
Country: USA
It’s great to see Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, 2011-2019; The Station Agent, 2003) playing Cyrano de Bergerac in this new adaptation of the Edmond Rostand’s widely popular play by the hand of English filmmaker Joe Wright (Atonement, 2007; Darkest Hour, 2017). However, and considering the potential of the story, this tragedy turned stiff musical is surprisingly pedestrian, aiming big but leaving us with crumbs.
Originally written for off Broadway by Dinklage’s wife, Erica Schmidt, and appropriately photographed by Wright’s regular collaborator, Seamus McGarvey, the film never packs nearly as much of a wallop as the version of Jean-Paul Rappeneau, who directed Gerard Depardieu to critical acclaim in 1990.
The story revolves around the complex relationship between a brave, eloquent army officer named Cyrano (Dinklage), a radiant woman named Roxanne (Haley Bennett), and a handsome new cadet named Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Bennett and Harrison Jr. don’t deliver, but Dinklage cannot be made responsible for the yawning. His performance reaches satisfactory levels.
Sadly, the film is never as good as it should be, lacking energy to thrive and being stretched out by these terrible musical moments put together by the brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessler. This is the second miss in a row by Wright, following last year’s The Woman in the Window.
