“When you’re reaching for a star, there’s a long way to fall.”

ZombieDog’s rating: A nose above the rest.

ZombieDog’s review: It may sound redundant, but movies have to be true to themselves. To be truly wonderful, a movie needs to blend three component pieces together in harmony: script, acting, and directing. There are dozens of other factors, although in my view, those are the primary. More than a few modern movies epitomize the metaphor of “too many cooks,” and it shows the willingness to accept corporate crap churned out just to make money. Then there are movies that buck the system with a giant WTF as they embrace the silly and charge forward.

The movie I want to talk about today is 1987’s Roxanne starring Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah fashioned as a romantic comedy with a lighthearted tone and some quasi-serious moments. A beautiful girl named Roxanne (Darrell Hannah) moves into town, and the local fire chief C.D. Bales (Steve Martin) is instantly attracted to her. But he lacks the self-confidence to approach her because he has a disfigured face — specifically his plus-sized nose. Roxanne is a fully capable woman who is working on her PhD in astrophysics while C.D., whose level of education I couldn’t discern, is nevertheless very well-read. He’s most likely a capable individual seeing as how he has risen to fire chief and is adapt to solving whatever problems are at hand.

At the same time a new handsome firefighter named Chris (Rick Rossovich) joins the force and is also attracted to Roxanne. Let’s just say Chris is not that intelligent and is by far more interested in Roxanne’s body than her brain. Even though he is a good-looking man, he lacks the courage to directly go up and talk to Roxanne, so he settles on writing letters, even though he can’t write. The chief steps in and offers to write the letters for him, which end up being so extremely romantic and elegant that he wins her heart.

If you think you’ve heard this story before, you absolutely have. Cyrano de Bergerac was written in 1897, and it’s fair to say the idea successfully spread to multiple cultures. I would argue that the character of Cyrano or C.D. taps into relatable emotions. At times we feel less-than-confident, but it’s also not unusual to have the desire to change something about ourselves. This is the beauty of the play, and this is equally the beauty of the movie.

Don’t get me wrong, this is absolutely a romcom and a good one. It really does feel like an SNL skit at times because it contains several actors from that show including original cast member Steve Martin. More than that, though, many of the jokes feel about the same intellectual level. To be fair, this is a great example of an ’80s movie and the type of humor that was prevalent during that decade. For the most part it holds up well.

If I had to offer some criticism, it would be in making Darrell Hannah a love interest. She’s a fine actor, however the problem is she and Martin don’t really seem compatible. Plus, he’s 15 years older than her with a head full of gray hair while she looks barely out of her 20s. It’s a minor complaint, it’s just I think it could’ve done a little better casting.

On the plus side, C.D. has amazing support from the town and the people who live there. They’re aware of his struggles and support him in any way that they can. I would really like to see their love for him expanded further and perhaps been instrumental in him choosing a partner. There are elements of this, but they are underplayed.

This is Steve Martin’s movie without question. Apparently when the movie was being pitched, he was a driving force behind its development. I’m a big fan of Martin and I think his body of work is better than most SNL alums. That being said, his Pink Panther (2006, 2009) movies are the worst. I suppose everybody has to pay rent.

Romantic comedies are one of my secret pleasures. They’re timeless, and almost a constant in cinema. From 1944’s Arsenic and Old Lace, to this year’s Adam Sandler movie Murder Mystery 2, romantic comedies are perfect for sharing with somebody or even enjoying by yourself. They are wacky, sentimental, and enthusiastically explore the human condition. They are full of schmaltz and I’m okay with that.

This is clearly a date night movie. However, it’s not so romantic that you can’t enjoy it with a group of friends. If you’ve never seen it, this is without a doubt a Steve Martin gem.

Quick picks:

• Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
• Blast from the Past (1999)
• 50 First Dates (2004)