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CYRANO, MY LOVE
Director: Alexis Michalik Cast: Thomas Solivérès, Tom Leeb, Lucie Boujenah, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner. Alice de Lencquesaing, Clémentine Célarié, Igor Gotesman, Dominique Pinon, Simon Abkarian, Marc Andréoni, Jean-Michel Martial, Alexis Michalik MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:50 Release Date: 10/18/19 (limited); 10/25/19 (wider) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 24, 2019 The real Cyrano de Bergerac, a writer who lived during the 17th century, and Edmond Rostand, the playwright who created the fictionalized Cyrano de Bergerac, have become footnotes. If you ask anyone who Cyrano was, the answer certainly will involve a prominent nose. As for Rostand, the answer would probably be a shrug. Cyrano, My Love doesn't do anything for the real Cyrano, but it definitely makes a hero of author of the 1897 play—a repeatedly produced, adapted, and re-imagined work of considerable fame. More importantly, though, the film, written and directed by Alexis Michalik (based on his 2016 play Edmond), is an entertaining and energetic behind-the-scenes look at the writing and mounting of Cyrano de Bergerac. It captures that rebellious, hopelessly optimistic, and uniquely theatrical spirit of the show needing to go on—even when said show hasn't been fully written yet and the curtain rises in a matter of hours. Edmond (Thomas Solivérès) has been distraught for two years following his most recent flop. Edmond now has two children with his endlessly supportive wife Rosemonde (Alice de Lencquesaing), and he needs to get back on his feet. Edmond has a chance to propose a play to the actor Constant Coquelin (Olivier Gourmet), who is deeply in debt and one wrong move away from being banned from every theater in Paris. He also needs a hit. The inspiration comes from assorted sources: the real Cyrano, a quick-witted café owner named Honoré (Jean-Michel Martial), Edmond's leading-man friend Léonidas (Tom Leeb), and Jeanne (Lucie Boujenah), a costumer whom Léonidas fancies but who is far more intelligent than him. The setup, in which the creation of a play mirrors the plot of that play, is fairly obvious (Edmond begins writing letters to Jeanne, signing them from Léonidas), but Michalik gives the real-life conflict its own weight, separate from the play. Jeanne becomes a muse for Edmond, who is able to write and re-write entire acts overnight. In the process, he may be betraying her, his wife, and his friend. This is a comedy, though, and a funny one at that, filled with farcical errors and colorful supporting characters (the show's put-upon cast, resilient crew, and brothel-owning backers). Cyrano, My Love finds the chaotic fun in the struggles of the theater, but the film also portrays, with great affection, its unifying and transcendent power. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for brief sexual content)
