Cyrano

While it may not be my favorite adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 19th Century play, Cyrano proves to be a perfect vehicle for Peter Dinklage who shines as the title character. Our brave and witty protagonist yearns for the beautiful Roxanne (Haley Bennett) only to see her attentions fall on the gaze of a strapping young soldier (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) instead, who Cyrano agrees to help woo the woman they both love while hiding the depth of his true feelings from them both.

All the basic trappings from the story are here including Ben Mendelsohn as yet another, more villainous, rival for Roxanne's affections and the humorous balcony sequence in yet another stylish period piece from director Joe Wright. Added to the mix are a number of musical numbers which vacillate between additions or distractions from the main plot at various points in the tale.

Those who enjoy the music written by members of the National might think slightly more of the film than I, but even if those sequences fail to live up to their potential the film succeeds on the back of Dinklage whose performance alone makes the film a must-see. Unlike Roxanne, which remains my favorite adaptation of the source material, Cyrano stays true to the tragedy of the the original play leaving a bittersweet aftertaste to an otherwise jaunty adventure. If Wright was shooting for epic, he missed the mark. Yet Cyrano still proves wildly, if at times inconsistently, entertaining.

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• Title: Cyrano
• IMDb: link