Directed by Joe Wright
Written by Erica Schmidt
Starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 124 minutes
In Theaters February 25th

by A. Freedman, Staff Writer

I am sure you noticed, but live action movie musicals have made a big comeback in the last few years. Cyrano rides a wave into theaters, already begun by West Side Story, In The Heights, tick tick...boom!, and more. In Cyrano, Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour) directs Erica Schmidt's screenplay, adapted from the hit Broadway musical that Schmidt herself made. To tap into the classic French play about the lovelorn, long nosed cadet poet, Schmidt turned to the Dessner brothers and Matt Berninger- 3/5 of 21st century indie rock stalwarts The National. Changing up some of the story details, they got Peter Dinklage to star. As far as collaborations with exciting pedigrees go, this is quite up there. While Broadway adaptations still fight a losing box office battle against superhero movies, one feels lucky to see such a lavish, beautifully done musical about love and feelings on the big screen. We should enjoy these while they last.

Peter Dinklage proved himself a more than capable leading man through eight seasons of Game Of Thrones, and his performance in Cyranosets his post-GOT career up in a very promising way. Cyrano is a soldier in love with the beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett), a childhood friend from the same village. Yet because Cyrano looks so different from Roxanne- and from most other people- his doubt has always gotten in the way when it comes to professing his true feelings for her. So, he compensates- perhaps overdoing it- with his witticisms, his poetry, his performances. He is a gifted entertainer, and he lives out in his art what he can't bring himself to live out in real life. It is made all the worse when Roxanne falls in love at first sight with the handsome Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), anyone's idea of a strapping young lad. Cyrano's fantasy relationship with Roxanne is breaking down, but in this he sees an opportunity. He could provide the dimwitted Christian with the words to win over Roxanne, along with the face he already possesses. An ill informed plan is hatched- a trope that has inspired countless romantic comedies since- and things don't go quite according to plan.

One can see what has led so many actors over the years, from Steve Martin to Gerard Depardieu to Jose Ferrer, to play Cyrano. His psychological profile fits that of so many actors and creative types in general. An insular world of brooding and ruminating, that inspires passionate works of expression that bring joy and pleasure to so many. Cyrano's dilemma is an exaggerated one of so many artists- who bog themselves down in their defenses, with a byproduct of avoiding true, painful vulnerability.

Anyone who has loved The National can also see why vocalist Matt Berninger is the perfect fit for these songs. Few other artists are so good at combining humor, wit, and devastation all in one beautiful indie rock anthem, coated by his honey glazed baritone voice. He has his secret weapons in the Dessner brothers, who in recent years have worked with everyone from Taylor Swift to Phillip Glass. The classically trained musical wiz kids were born to write a sad, beautiful musical like this one. The final piece of the puzzle though? Berninger's wife Carin Besser, who has collaborated with him before and who provides a more complete portrait of Roxanne's inner life- beyond being merely a projection of Cyrano's mind.

Other than Dinklage and the world of emotion he holds in his facial expressions, the music is the star of Cyrano. Every song very much sounds like The National- any fans of theirs can easily hear the songs in their unique voicing. Yet these are also songs made for the stage, ones that might seem odd on just another full length album. There are countless highlights- from the passionate "I Need More" as sung by Roxanne, to the opening beauty of "Someone to Say," to the fatalistic battlefield anthem "Wherever I Fall."

It all leads to a devastating final act, which came as a surprise to me, having only seen Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah in 1987's Roxanne. It ends up being a cautionary tale. Life and love are mirrored through art, but they must still be lived and experienced to build that meaning. There's such a profound vulnerability to the material, and everyone involved works hard to make it shine. Cyrano is a special movie- see it in a dark theater with a tissue box.