Cyrano (2021)

A dwarf (Peter Dinklage) has been in love with a young woman (Haley Bennett) for many years but because of his size, he has never declared his love for her. When she confides in him that she is in love with a young soldier (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), he is shattered but agrees to look after the young man. The soldier is inarticulate so the dwarf helps him write beautiful love letters to the woman they both love. Based on the 2018 stage musical by Erica Schmidt by way of the classic 1897 play CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand and directed by Joe Wright (ATONEMENT). I'm crazy for musicals so I tend to be more tolerant toward the genre than the casual viewer. That being said, this musical version of the Rostand classic is highly uneven and heavy handed. Dinklage isn't much of a singer and the bulk of the songs (music  by Aaron and Bryce Dessner and lyrics by Matt Berninger and Carin Besser) are forgettable and the dance movements (you can't call it choreography) by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is amateurish. Musically, the film comes alive only twice: during Haley Bennett's rendition of I Need More and the lengthy Wherever I Fall sequence. Kelvin Harrison has been impressive in other film roles (like LUCE) but the role of Christian is an ungrateful part for any actor. Not unwatchable but if you're not into musicals, you may find this unbearable. With Ben Mendelsohn and Monica Dolan.