Dinklage and director Wright lift latest 'Cyrano' to new musical heights

Friday, February 25, 2022

Dinklage and director Wright lift latest 'Cyrano' to new musical heights

Bennett enjoys hearing sweet-somethings from Dinklage.

How many times has the poetic wordsmith and swordsman named Cyrano de Bergerac appeared on the big screen?

Well, you might not believe it, but there have been almost a dozen with that name alone, now including Director Joe Wright's dazzling 2021 "Cyrano," opening in theaters today with a studio release likely timed for a slew of Academy Award nominations that never came. (Incredibly, it says here, such an exceptional film has received just one, for Best Achievement in Costume Design.)

As based on the 2018 European stage musical (adapted by screenwriter Erica Schmidt), this version features a towering perfomance from Peter Dinklage, whose short stature stands in for the insecure, long-nosed title character in most other productions. Of course, Cyrano still remains steadfastly smitten with Roxanne (a lovely, if overtly flirty Haley Bennett), who calls our lovesick hero "my oldest friend." Once more, such a perceived slight leads to dashing soldier Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) being permitted to use his little commanding officer's immense words to woo the lady in this classic and ever-sad love triangle.

Speaking of heartbreak, another showstopping moment arrives when scared infantrymen sing that heaven is "Wherever I Fall" while in the middle of another needless battle. Believe it, the talented Wright ("Atonement," "Darkest Hour") again delivers a special movie-going experience, no matter what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences might have you believe. (By the way, Dinklage did receive a Best Actor nomination from the Critics Choice Assocation, with winners announced March 13.)

Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: some strong violence, thematic and suggestive material, and brief language; 2:04; $ $ $ $ and 1/2 out of $5

Two other films also debut today. A critic's screening was not offered for "Studio 666" (only in theaters), but an intriguing kind of whodunnit called "No Exit" begins as a serviceable thriller, keeps our attention for about 45 minutes, then takes a quick turn into gratuitously dark and unexected places.

For a while, in fact, you might think at least you're in good hands with Dennis Haysbert, the trusted All-State Insurance spokesman and formidable U.S. President during six seasons of TV's long-running "24."

Haysbert's is probably the most recognizable name in a cast that also includes Dale Dickey ("Winter's Bone"), Danny Ramirez (Disney+ and Marvel's "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier") and model Havana Rose Liu, here showing off some screen intensity as a recovering drug addict on the run. You can see why she's at large -- and where she might be going -- only on Hulu.

Rated "R" by MPAA: strong violence, language and some drug content; 1:28; $ $ and 1/2 out of $5

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READ MORE FROM JOHN HERE AT TIFF 47
Spielberg memoir brings home top 'People's' prize
CIFF vets find Gravitas and indie choices in live return
Halfway home but 10-day film feast still has tasty menu
Tribute Awards and weekend stars go live again
Cleveland meets Toronto, each with 47th fests on tap
North America's largest film showcase begins Sept. 8

2022's Top 10 movies (in alphabetical order):

All My Puny Sorrows (mini review above); Avatar: The Way of Water; The Banshees of Inisherin; Cha Cha Real Smooth; Emily the Criminal; Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (mini review above); She Said; TÁR; Triangle of Sadness

2021 Top 10 movies (in alphabetical order): Belfast, Coda, Cyrano, A Hero, Jockey, Licorice Pizza, The Lost Daughter, The Rescue, The Tragedy of Macbeth, West Side Story

No Top 10 films in 2020 (Covid pandemic)

See John's Top 10 films of 2019

See John's Top 10 films of 2018

See John's Top 10 films of 2017

See John's Top 10 films of 2016

See John's Top 10 films of 2015

See John's Top 10 films of 2014

See John's Top 10 films of 2013

See John's Top 10 films of 2012

See John's Top 10 films of 2011