Dinklage trades in the customary prosthetic nose for his stature, which provides the impediment here to expressing his love for his cousin Roxanne (Haley Bennett), whose fondness for him is strictly platonic.
But of course, Roxanne has fallen for the handsome Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who despite his striking features lacks confidence or style when it comes to the art of romance. The awkward solution is for Cyrano to write to her (and in the famous balcony scene, speak for him), expressing his love for Roxanne without revealing the source or his true feelings.
Like many recent releases, “Cyrano” has followed a circuitous path to the screen. The movie received an Oscar-qualifying run — its lone nomination coming for costume design — then had its official release delayed due to the Omicron variant. It thus arrives later and with less fanfare than the producers clearly hoped.
Thanks to the cast (which also includes Ben Mendelsohn, near-unrecognizable as the villainous De Guiche), “Cyrano” is worth seeing, either now or later. But it’s a relatively modest addition to the title’s storied history, one where the music subtracts at least as much as it adds to the story’s inherent poetry.
“Cyrano” premieres in select US theaters on Feb. 25. It’s rated PG-13.
