#Roxy

Cryano Debergerac is one of my all time favorite plays. I first saw a revival version off-Broadway in NYC and I loved it. I immediately checked out the Jose Ferrer version and it was good, but not AS good. The version that I saw at the Stratford festival in Canada a few years back was great and I even enjoyed the Steve Martin remake.

This was a laudable attempt and is remarkably free of cringe-worthy moments while updating this perennial favorite.

The updating of letter to texting worked. The casting of eminently huggable BooBoo Stewart in the Christian role was a superb choice. Even the aside making best pal Raganeau, Cyrus's cousin when the original based much of the original problem on Roxanne being Cyrano's cousin was a nice touch.

The poetic duel, the wooing Roxy by proxy aspects were all enjoyable. Overall this was a fun movie for those of us that knew the story. I'm not sure why it wasn't rated higher than it is.

Still it was fun and I'd watch it again if nothing better were on offer.

This movie based on an old time classic was really updated with a diverse cast of great actors. Well done!

So. If you view every film available on Sky Movies in alphabetical order, at the top you get "#Roxy". It was for no other reason that this that I spent an evening in the company of this pretty awful Canadian teen adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Jake Short plays Cyrus, wise ass high schooler who has, for years been in unrequited love with Roxy (Sarah Fisher). When she tells him of her (frankly inexplicable) attraction to Christian (Bamboo Stewart) and Christian separately does the same, Cyrus sees and opportunity to say all the things to Roxy that he wants to, vicariously through the proxy of Christian

Let's get a few positives out of the way first, I actually ended up quite liking the principle cast, towards the end of the film. Ironically, Cyrano De Bergerac actually feels more timely again now, that it has in the last few decades as love letters fell away but now instant messaging and texting is both intimate but potentially anonymous.

But the film is very cheesy. Despite being made in 2018, some of the high school movie clichés are still prevalent. Jocks, Nerds, Goths.... Same as it ever was, as if the movie was made in the 1980's.. And the use of actors who have long since left high school is still happening, the principle bully in the film, I've just looked it up and he's 29 but if you told me he was 40, I'd have believed it. The prosthetic nose on Cyrus was not good, in fact I'm not sure why they stuck with it, I understand it's part of the original story but surely just a lack of confidence would be enough to explain why he refuses to tell Roxy how he feels.

I don't want to eviscerate it too much, but it's a story that you've seen before and more convincingly.

There is almost nothing that makes this film stand out, that makes it one to recommend, that distinguishes it from dozens of other movies set in high school. It even ticks all the boxes, captures all the tropes, includes all the characters you expect to see and has them act just as you'd expect. Damningly it's predictable.

The acting doesn't astound, the soundtrack forgettable, the conversations rarely quotable, the set design mundane.

So go in with low expectations and.. let yourself be charmed. Enjoy a simple film, put together well, featuring likeable people. There are fun elements, the plot isn't entirely linear and there's certainly romance.

For all that it fails to wow the audience, this film never lets them down. Solid entertainment and worth your time.

An well made movie, geered towards teens but entertaining for adults as well. Witty writing and a talented cast make this a movie to addd to your must watch list.