Alternate Best Actor 1987: Steve Martin in Roxanne

Steve Martin did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Golden Globe, winning NSFC and LAFCA, for portraying C. D. "Charlie" Bales in Roxanne.

Roxanne is an enjoyable enough modern re-telling of Cyrano de Bergerac re envisioned about a long nosed firemen and tennis racket fencer searching for his titular love.

I have previously covered Cyranos in the form of the Oscar winning and Oscar nominated performances of Jose Ferrer and Gerard Depardieu respectively. The comedic performer Martin, who also wrote this film, one would assume would have a different intention overall for Cyrano which is less comedic and much more tragic than in its original form. Martin though actually doesn't fully subvert the idea of the character and in many ways embraces the traditional part even beyond the character's extended facial non conformity. This is right within the character's profession as a firemen that lends itself naturally to heroic sort, and Martin very much plays into the heroic nature of the character, though perhaps with a certain cheekiness. This from the outset where he helps the titular Roxanne (Daryl Hannah) get back into her house after being locked out...naked of course. Martin doesn't creep it up exactly though delivers a certain sly smile when telling the rest of the firemen there isn't anything too exciting about the job.

The way Martin portrays Charlie going about the job though is with this very straight forward confidant demeanor. The same is even true for when he battles some hecklers with his tennis racket, which while ridiculous as a concept Martin does present it with this strange sincerity in a way. This actually adds to the comedy since Martin plays it like an actual duel rather just a few guys goofing around. In an interesting way Martin clearly holds the role of Cyrano in great esteem since he never makes fun of the character or the idea of it. Although this is a comedy Martin doesn't ever insult the nature of the original story. This is within moments of strict earnestness within his performance such as a scene of helping kids on a roof. Martin delivers a natural warmth within that confidence of a man who wishes to do the right thing. The same is with the central romance with the titular woman where the long nosed Charlie, just as Cyrano finds himself in dangerous territory in the friend zone. Martin though in these early interactions delivers his lines without sarcasm presenting a man genuinely smitten, even if it is not returned to him.

Oddly enough the parts where he is least Cyrano are also the parts that are most traditionally Steve Martin as a comic performer. This being the famous moment of Cyrano taking down one of his nose heckler by delivery proper nose insults. This is reworked as Charlie rattles off insults based on different subjects, and Martin kind of falls upon his more traditional comedic presence. His timing is of course good, and he delivers the scene well in a comedic sense. I don't think it necessarily is entirely true to the rest of the presentation of the character. Martin isn't bad in this scene at all, in fact he rather funny, but his portrayal of Charlie's Bravado feels a touch standard. This is especially when compared to the rest of his performance that seeks to be much more the real Cyrano, even with that modern bent. This isn't to say I expected Martin to fully replicate what Ferrer did so well, I mean he did even bother to get the really bland main two co-stars, but rather his other scenes feel like a proper riff on that where that scene is more just Martin the comic. This perhaps falls more into the film not really being overly ambitious. It mostly just a loving tribute to the original, and that is Martin's performance. It seeks to lovingly allude to the Cyrano that came before as Charlie, with a bit more comedy, but not much more than that. It never quite reaches this greater grandiose styling it occasionally seems to try to achieve.  This even in the more earnest moments that slowly feel more traditional romantic comedy with Martin as the hapless romantic, though still with that undercurrent of the poet at times. It's a fun performance, even a delightful one at times. It however isn't even Martin's best performance from 1987 with his straight man turn in Planes, Trains and Automobiles leaving a greater impression.