'Roxanne: Retro VHS Style'
(Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Shelley Duvall, Fred Willard, et al / Blu-ray / PG / (1987) 2019 / Mill Creek Entertainment)
Overview: The large-nosed C.D. Bales is in love with the beautiful Roxanne; she falls for his personality but another man's looks.
Blu-ray Verdict: Steve Martin (The Man With Two Brains) stars as fire chief Charlie Bales, a man with a rather big nose! Indeed, this unusual feature makes him believe he will never be able to be with a girl - especially the one he has just met; the beautiful Roxanne.
Martin gives a good performance as the insecure but happy fire chief. His best moment is the famous bar scene where he is challenged to think of 20 insults regarding his own big nose!
The oversized nose is the big talking point of the town and the use of it was quite interesting as it brought out a touching subject regarding appearance and what other people thought of it.
As the film is a comedy that is where its focus lies with pretty much all of the jokes involving Martin's comedic timing. At all times proving vital to make the nose jokes work he is on the ball and punchline perfect here in 'Roxanne.'
Indeed, his reactions are excellent, especially the aforementioned bar scene and the opening sequence with the two men. The fact Martin did all of his own stunts was knowledge I couldn't believe because there are some very difficult maneuvers that he has to do; but all are executed brilliantly, of course.
The plot is consistent, with many good jokes and a sweet storyline regarding the fire chief and the woman he subsequently falls. Sadly though, it follows the conventional romantic story line that has been tried and trusted for 100+ years.
Now, don't get me wrong I love romantic films, but a bit of variety every now and again wouldn't hurt.
Rossovich and Hannah are good enough in their roles but are completely outshone by Martin. They have pretty conventional roles and always seemed to give the film predictability rather than spontaneity. Though that is also down to some cheesy and poor dialogue at times!
In closing, Martin's performance is obviously enough to carry the film from start to finish, but had the film been rather more shy from the usual romantic conventions, to my mind, then this would be the "perfect" romantic comedy. This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.35:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
'Roxanne' [Retro VHS '90s Style Blu-Ray] is out August 13th, 2019 via Mill Creek Entertainment.
www.MillCreekEnt.com