Cyrano (2022)

The story of Cyrano de Bergerac is both troubling and fascinating, a rumination on what love is and critical of how our romantic notions interfere with our lived reality, but it also glorifies deception, contributing to our romanticizing of lies like we see in so many of our modern romantic stories. Its themes and story have remained in the public conscious enough there appear to have been at least 3 stage musicals of the story. Now one of them has been brought to the screen by rethinking the idea of the character. Instead of having a large nose he is instead a little person. The nose is irrelevant as the point is to explore those we as a culture deem undesirable or unworthiness.  

The film's songs are rather standard yet they have a certain catchiness which had me humming them afterward. While visually beautiful the film flounders a bit as it goes through the motions of its plot. But what makes it all watchable is Dinklage giving one of his signature powerful performances. We are now used to seeing him in roles as someone everyone underestimates and he plays into this very well. As usual he is spectacular and mesmerizing on screen as he upends the haters providing that sort of satisfaction in watching the boastful get what's coming. But his performance is more than that. It is subtle and rich, his incredible face expressing powerful levels of emotion. 

The script isn't always up to what he brings to is and he manages to elevate the scenes he is in. I wish the film had been up to his level. It is all very watchable and visually it is stunning. But it is all rather rote. Its reflections on the complicated nature of love are... well, not very complicated. Mendelsohn's villain is too cartoonish (not the fault of the talented actor but how his character is written). Neither Harrison or Bennett are given enough with their characters to make them much more than cliches. And by sticking very closely to the original story, the film doesn't take the opportunity to subvert some of the problems of the narrative. 

But Dinklege gives one of the best performances of the year, perhaps even elevated by contrasting it with the weaknesses in the script. It is a revelation of a performance. 

Cyrano

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelsin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn, Bashir Salahuddin

Director: Joe Wright

Writer: Erica Schmidt