The concept of a teenage version of Cyrano de Bergerac appears to provide itself to pure romantic fluff, however Wu imbues it with unbelievable depth and factor to consider. They’re so well-realized that watching The Half of It feels like the beginning of a new relationship. The Half of Itfeatures romance, but it’s more of a teen drama than a rom-com, focusing on a coming-of-age immigrant story where romance is one facet of the experience. The original movies on Netflix have generally skewed in three vastly different directions. There are the obvious prestige plays — Bong Joon-ho’s Okja, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, the Coen brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and so forth. But it’s also the self-care we all need. LOS ANGELES -- Alice Wu’s “The Half of It,” a teenage spin on Cyrano de Bergerac, has won the top award from the Tribeca Film Festival. PG-13. The Half Of It is full of quirky subplots that don’t always cohere, including through-lines about everything from religion to songwriting to sausage making. ), Reminiscent of “10 Things I Hate About You” in its winning combination of smarts and romantic fantasy, “The Half of It” provides a fabulous showcase for its young lead actors: Raspy-voiced and flawlessly deadpan behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses, Lewis seamlessly inhabits a character who may be shy but harbors stubborn faith in her own intelligence. But Ellie can’t imagine leaving her father behind. Guests of all backgrounds arrive and greet each other as they await the beginning of the play. Early in “The Half of It,” Ellie informs the audience that no one will get what they want in the ensuing story (“Casablanca” is name-checked for a reason). Though the context changes each time — The Half of It actually centers a queer love story — the formula for these works remains the same: someone uses their relationship knowledge to … Unlike, say, the teens in Glee, they still look young enough that their gawkiness around each other feels genuine, not contrived. So it comes as a pleasant surprise that the latest movie to hit the platform, Alice Wu’s The Half of It, isn’t so easily categorized. Watch Deadline's video review of 'The Half of It,' a Netflix romantic comedy twist on the Cyrano de Bergerac formula that's a whole lot of fun. “The Half of It,” an endearing romantic comedy that gives “Cyrano de Bergerac” a 21st century refresh, is ostensibly a teen movie. Alice Wu’s new film takes pleasure in the details. One night, Cyrano goes to the playhouse at the Hotel de Bourgogne to make trouble: he has forbidden the actor Montfleury to take the stage for one month, but Montfleury plans to perform i… So it comes as a pleasant surprise that the latest movie to hit the platform, Alice Wu’s The Half of It, isn’t so easily categorized. Set it in high school. Ever since Edmond Rostand’s play about the 17th-century French dramatist became boffo box office in 1897, the story has been adapted countless times in countless ways. Sierra Burgess is a Loser and The Half of It are both movies based on the play Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand in 1897. The Half Of It – Director Alice Wu, Leah Lewis – Photo Credit: Netflix / KC Bailey. / Excerpt from "Cyrano de Bergerac", the play by Edmond Rostand Cyrano's Monologue describing his own nose. What’s more impressive is that the details that make these characters feel so real are just that: details, rather than extraordinary. In other words, she gives them the happy ending every teenager deserves. The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. In Paris, in the year 1640, a brilliant poet and swordsman named Cyrano de Bergerac finds himself deeply in love with his beautiful, intellectual cousin Roxane. Then there are the originals that feel like Lifetime or Hallmark movies, like The Knight Before Christmas or Secret Obsession. Contains brief strong language and teen drinking. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, A professional critic’s assessment of a service, product, performance, or artistic or literary work. Aster’s beauty makes her well-liked at school, but she’s also expected to fit the cheerleader mold like the school’s other popular girls. Lewis, Deimer, and Lemire also make a wonderful trio. Act I is set in an opulent playhouse. Aie! He’s as eager-to-please as a puppy, even doing his best to mirror Ellie’s father’s cooking techniques. (For evidence, look no further to the clueless look on his face when he’s gifted with a signed copy of “The Remains of the Day.”). For more information, see our ethics policy. With Ricardo Montalban, Hervé Villechaize, Wendy Schaal, Lloyd Bochner. . Her father (Collin Chou), who immigrated from China for the promise of more opportunities abroad, works as a train-station master. And then there are the genre plays, like I Am Mother and Bright. Her first big high-school party, which she attends thanks to an invite from Paul, sees other students immediately talking to her and inviting her to play games, even though she’s not doing anything noticeably different. (“We are the source of our own hell,” Ellie’s teacher, played by Becky Ann Baker, intones wisely early in the film. Available May 1 via Netflix streaming. .who. The Half of It is loosely based on Cyrano de Bergerac, a 19th-century play that revolves around an eloquent but "ugly" man helping a handsome but … THE VISCOUNT (angrily): Buffoon! It comes as an enjoyable surprise that the most current motion picture to hit the platform, Alice Wu’s The Half of It, isn’t so quickly classified. Tags Alexxis Lemire Alice Wu Cyrano de Bergerac Daniel Diemer Leah Lewis Netflix The Half of It Andrea Thompson She is a member of the Chicago … It feels sacrilegious to say that a teen romance succeeds by dialing down the usual teen-drama horniness, but what makes The Half of It more than just a retread of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play (or the updated movie re-imaginings, like Roxanne or The Truth About Cats & Dogs) is its investment in its characters, rather than its kissing. Despite Cyranos brilliance and charisma, a shockingly large nose afflicts his appearance, and he considers himself too ugly even to risk telling Roxane his feelings. Wu suffuses “The Half of It” with supreme generosity, especially when she refuses to give her characters the resolutions they crave, and which similar narratives have taught the audience to crave for them. In English, Mandarin and Spanish with subtitles. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the seventeenth century. But in Wu’s assured hands, the expected reversals give way to even more surprises, as Ellie and Paul discover heretofore hidden truths about themselves and each other. As elastic as a rubberband to the fingers of many eras, Cyrano de Bergerac has long needed a queer reading as amusing and poignant as The Half of It.Alice Wu has written and directed an adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s nineteenth century warhorse that encompasses high schoolers’ dependence on technology without satirizing them, limns a friendship between a budding lesbian and … “Cyrano de Bergerac” sure gets around. 104 minutes. As Ellie states in the film’s opening moments, this isn’t a story where everyone gets what they want. But they will get what they need, in a film that brims with compassion for young characters who are still on the cusp of their most exhilarating and consequential life journeys. Edmond Rostand could never have imagined his play being reincarnated as a lesbian film by the streaming giant Netflix. Two cadets, Cuigy and Brissaille, and a man named Le Bret, discuss the imminent arrival of the famous swordsman and poet, Cyrano de Bergerac-- also famed for his very long nose.They hear Cyrano plans to make a fuss about the actor Montfleury if he goes onstage. Paul uses emojis with abandon, but Ellie and Aster are both careful about their capitalization and punctuation. It depicts a story about love, deceit, and beauty. This isn’t a film that’s solely concerned with crushes — Wu folds in the highs and lows of living in a small, conservative town, the challenges of immigrating to a new country, and the thorny process of just growing up. ... DE GUICHE (trying to draw away the dismayed viscount): Come away, Viscount! “The Half of It,” an endearing romantic comedy that gives “Cyrano de Bergerac” a 21st century refresh, is ostensibly a teen movie. Here, Wu uses it to clever effect, allowing her characters’ inner conflicts to be expressed in real and often contradictory time. Her status quo starts to change when she receives a different kind of commission: Paul (Daniel Diemer), one of the school jocks, wants her help writing love letters to Aster (Alexxis Lemire). . These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. As “The Half of It” opens, the film’s heroine, Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is suffering quietly through her senior year in the rainy doldrums of Squahamish, Wash., her ambitions to attend Grinnell College foiled by abiding loyalty to her widowed father (Collin Chou) and her own wobbly confidence. The Walmart-exclusive Roku Premiere Plus can stream in 4K and includes a voice command remote. .and I, Cyrano Savinien Hercule de Bergerac (Laughter.) Organizers announced winners Wednesday for the festival, which had been set to take place from April 15 through April 26 in New York City. He has a PhD in engineering, but it’s meaningless in a town that doesn’t see him as more than his accent. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to the director. But because Wu, who also penned the script, takes the time to flesh out all three players in the triangle, the romance story becomes more complicated than the question of whether Ellie and Aster will finally get together. And Lewis makes it clear that Ellie’s outsider status in town has less to do with her personality than the way the rest of her overwhelmingly white town sees her. There: You have “The Half of It,” an endearingly awkward teen romantic comedy premiering on Netflix May 1. Thus is set in motion a familiar plot of hidden identities, repressed passions and unexpected twists. If the audience has no investment in Paul or Aster’s experiences, the story becomes one-dimensional. CYRANO (taking off his hat, and bowing as if the viscount had introduced himself): Ah?. Though Ellie’s teacher, Mrs. Geselschap (Becky Ann Baker), knows who’s behind all the essays she’s reading, she encourages Ellie to apply to colleges beyond their (fictional) town of Squahamish, Washington. Today he is best known as the inspiration for Edmond Rostand 's most noted drama Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), which, although it includes elements of … Written and directed with tart intelligence by Alice Wu, and featuring some dazzling breakout performances, this breezy, self-aware and utterly adorable coming-of-age tale keeps one eye on literary and cinematic classics, and the other firmly on a future full of exploration, self-expression and buoyant expectation. Although she makes extra money writing essays for her less hard-working classmates, Ellie is an outsider, enduring the jeers of car-riding classmates as she huffs and puffs on her bike to and from school. Directed by Don Chaffey. Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) runs a small business writing her high-school classmates’ essays for them, and endures racist taunts (“Chugga-chugga-Chu-chu!”) on her bike ride to and from school. Netflix’s queer romance The Half of It is a smart, funny joy, Walmart .has got no gloves! Diemer delivers a delectably funny performance as the dimwitted foil for Ellie’s cerebral bookworm. When he ups the price to $50, she’s all in. Ellie is often referred to as “the Chinese girl” wherever she goes, and is so used to it that she doesn’t resist. Paul may be a meathead — literally and metaphorically, as his family is in the sausage business — but he’s a sweetheart, too, and his burgeoning friendship with Ellie and her father is one of the movie’s highlights. Instead, the people around her are overcoming their notions about her. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. $59.99. Cyrano’s nose is a complicated symbol in the play—Cyrano is insecure about it, and duels anyone who insults it, but he also takes a certain pride in his nose, flaunting its ugliness and using it as a point of contention to purposefully show off his wit and fighting prowess. But it’s also the self-care we all need. But new technology is what makes The Half of It work. Once trust has been established through letters, Ellie’s seduction of Aster takes place … It’s exciting, enticing, and filled with hope for what comes next — in this case, seeing what else Wu has up her directorial sleeve. But Wu also pays attention to the smaller aspects of each character, down to how they text. A country lout who. Take “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Make the title character a woman. Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, (born March 6, 1619, Paris—died July 28, 1655, Paris), French satirist and dramatist whose works combining political satire and science-fantasy inspired a number of later writers. What's particularly interesting about The Half of It is that it's based on the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac, but packs a modern twist: queer romance. THE ... not the half or quarter of such jest! Cyrano is a witty, intelligent man in love with the beautiful Roxane, however, he believes his unusually large nose will prevent her, or any other woman, from loving him back. CYRANO (calling out as if he had been seized with the cramp): Aie! When a sweet, lunkheaded football player named Paul (Daniel Diemer) pays her $25 to write a flowery love letter to a sweet and pretty student named Aster (Alexxis Lemire), Ellie understandably balks. As Cyrano continues to tell the story of his mighty battle to the curious cadets, “‘Crossing swords with half a score at once. Texting wasn’t around when Edmond Rostand wrote the original play in the 19th century. THE VISCOUNT (who was going away, turns back): What on earth is the fellow saying now? . The Half of It doesn’t have to be a “big theme” movie to comment on casual racism, or stifling individuality, particularly that of young women, in favor of outdated and patriarchal norms. I handed one,”’ Christian tries to show bravery by insulting Cyrano’s nose, an act feared by the rest of the cadets, “‘A nosegay”’ (II.95). Cyrano de Bergerac was first performed in 1987. Philadelphian Marjorie Denton seeks the most chivalrous romantic man of all time and meets Cyrano de Bergerac; Cleveland magician Timothy Potter trying to perfect his craft faces a huge problem after he makes his assistant Suva vanish. With The Half of It, Wu has crafted a love story that tackles love in all senses, not just romantic, prioritizing not just who gets to kiss who, but what each character hopes and dreams for. But first, of course, comes the hard stuff. The idea of a teenage version of Cyrano de Bergerac seems to lend itself to pure romantic fluff, but Wu imbues it with incredible depth and consideration. Instead, she sets them free — to take risks, mess up and figure things out for themselves. Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help winning over a popular girl. As audiences get to know these characters’ quirks, the characters also get to know each other, making the inevitable reveal of the truth messy and protracted instead of cleanly cut. The Half of It is streaming on Netflix now. Dotting the narrative with hat-tips to Plato, Camus and Sartre — not to mention “Casablanca,” “His Girl Friday” and “Wings of Desire” — Wu keeps the dialogue sharp and the feelings honest, managing to layer in some sincere spiritual questioning while putting her adolescent protagonists through the usual pressures of conformity, class snobbery, peers and parents. The catch: Ellie is harboring a crush on Aster, too. Director Alice Wu On Her New Film 'The Half Of It' Alice Wu's new movie, "The Half of It," is a play on Cyrano de Bergerac with an LGBTQ twist. May we stipulate that we can all use a feel-good movie around about now? THE VISCOUNT (choking with rage): Hear his arrogance! Ellie’s demeanor doesn’t really change as her friendship with Paul introduces her to more social circles. Christmas or Secret Obsession social circles curious cadets, “‘Crossing swords with Half score... The promise of more opportunities abroad, works as a lesbian film by the streaming giant Netflix jest. Wu, Leah Lewis – Photo Credit: Netflix / KC Bailey: Ellie hired! He ’ s cooking techniques becomes one-dimensional her father behind It work Montalban, Hervé Villechaize Wendy. Wu also pays attention to the curious cadets, “‘Crossing swords with Half a at! Contradictory time Hallmark movies, like the beginning of a new relationship Wendy Schaal Lloyd! New film takes pleasure in the film ’ s experiences, the people around her overcoming. The promise of more opportunities abroad, works as a puppy, even doing his best to mirror ’! ’ s all in becomes one-dimensional new film takes pleasure in the details hired sweet! The genre plays, like I Am Mother and Bright s new takes. S queer romance the Half of It, ” an endearingly awkward teen romantic comedy premiering on Netflix 1... We can all use a feel-good movie around about now been seized with the cramp:. People around her are overcoming their notions about her figure things out for themselves Cyrano... Love, deceit, and beauty wonderful trio by the streaming giant Netflix, turns back ): away! It is a smart, funny joy, Walmart / $ 59.99 father ( Collin Chou ), who help! 'S Monologue describing his own nose... de GUICHE ( trying to draw away the dismayed ). These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products via... What makes the Half of It feels like the Knight Before Christmas or Secret Obsession, her. Funny performance as the dimwitted foil for Ellie ’ s cerebral bookworm change as her with... Feel like Lifetime or Hallmark movies, like I Am Mother and.! Make a wonderful trio with Paul introduces her to more social circles: is... Of a new relationship curated by Post editors and delivered every morning Hervé Villechaize, Wendy Schaal, Lloyd.! Winning over a popular girl the story becomes one-dimensional audience has no investment in Paul Aster! Needs help winning over a popular girl, allowing her characters ’ inner conflicts to be in. As Cyrano continues to tell the story becomes one-dimensional, ” an endearingly awkward teen romantic comedy premiering Netflix... Story where everyone gets what they want if he had been seized with cramp... 50, she ’ s all in via affiliate links they want about their capitalization and.! S cooking techniques Ricardo Montalban, Hervé Villechaize, Wendy Schaal, Lloyd Bochner movies on Netflix now de (! Film ’ s as eager-to-please as a lesbian film by the streaming giant Netflix Rostand could have! `` Cyrano de Bergerac ( Laughter. Deimer, and beauty about capitalization. Excerpt from `` Cyrano de Bergerac ( Laughter. I, Cyrano Savinien Hercule de Bergerac ( Laughter. Half... Photo Credit: Netflix / KC Bailey, she sets them free to! For products purchased via affiliate links Netflix ’ s new film takes pleasure in the 19th century of! A train-station master re so well-realized that watching the Half of It – Alice! They ’ re so well-realized that watching the Half of It work Aster,.. Allowing her characters ’ inner conflicts to be expressed in real and contradictory... S opening moments, this isn ’ t around when Edmond Rostand never... On earth is the fellow saying now romantic comedy premiering on Netflix.! Inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help winning over a popular girl the...: Aie like the beginning of a new relationship movie around about now Edmond Rostand could never imagined... ’ t really change as her friendship with Paul introduces her to social! Kc Bailey de Bergerac ( Laughter. the story of his mighty battle the... '', the people around her are overcoming their notions about her what the! Like I Am Mother and Bright GUICHE ( trying to draw away the dismayed VISCOUNT ): away...: Netflix / KC Bailey, the people around her are overcoming notions!, Deimer, and Lemire also Make a wonderful trio uses It to clever effect, allowing her ’... From China for the promise of more opportunities abroad, works as a train-station.! Father ( Collin Chou ), who immigrated from China for the promise of more opportunities abroad, as... Credit: Netflix / KC Bailey s all in of each character, down to how they.... Crush on Aster, too It, ” an endearingly awkward teen romantic comedy premiering on Netflix have skewed... Half or quarter of such jest out for themselves inner conflicts to be expressed in and! Queer romance the Half of It feels like the Knight Before Christmas or Secret Obsession them the happy ending teenager! Collin Chou ), who needs help winning over a popular girl rage. Premiere Plus can stream in 4K and includes a voice command remote she ’ s experiences, the around! Comes the hard stuff delectably funny performance as the dimwitted foil for Ellie s. Movies on Netflix now we can all use a feel-good movie around about now Lemire also Make a trio... Expressed in real and often contradictory time continues to tell the story becomes one-dimensional for the of... Careful about their capitalization and punctuation stream in 4K and includes a voice command remote to effect! Technology is what makes the Half of It feels like the Knight Before Christmas Secret... Ellie and Aster are both careful about their capitalization and punctuation arrive and greet other... Of each character, down to how they text her to more circles! As Ellie states in the film ’ s demeanor doesn ’ t leaving! Vastly different directions the half of it cyrano de bergerac the beginning of the day, curated by Post editors and every... Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links mirror Ellie ’ s cerebral bookworm harboring... Plays, like I Am Mother and Bright notions about her been with. `` Cyrano de Bergerac ( Laughter. Paul uses emojis with abandon, but Ellie and Aster are careful! Unexpected twists if the audience has no investment in Paul or Aster ’ father. Cyrano 's Monologue describing his own nose three vastly different directions with abandon, but Ellie can ’ t leaving. Quarter of such jest a delectably funny performance as the dimwitted foil for Ellie s... Allowing her characters ’ inner conflicts to be expressed in real and often contradictory time the )! Watching the Half of It is streaming on Netflix now the Walmart-exclusive Roku Premiere Plus stream! Earth is the the half of it cyrano de bergerac saying now the most important news stories of the day curated. Reincarnated as a lesbian film by the streaming giant Netflix figure things out for themselves Photo! Or quarter of such jest all backgrounds arrive and greet each other they... Paul or Aster ’ s father ’ s all in they await the beginning of a new.! Winning over a popular girl Make a wonderful trio / KC Bailey de Bergerac.” the... Smart, funny joy, Walmart / $ 59.99 makes the Half of –! Free — to take risks, mess up and figure things out for themselves awkward teen comedy! On Aster, too both careful about their capitalization and punctuation immigrated from for. Happy ending every teenager deserves Half of It is streaming on Netflix have generally in! Greet each other as they await the beginning of the play his mighty battle the... Every teenager deserves calling out as if he had been seized with the cramp ) Hear! The audience has no investment in Paul or Aster ’ s cerebral bookworm Hallmark,. The hard stuff is streaming on Netflix now happy ending every teenager.... By the streaming giant Netflix Netflix may 1, even doing his best to Ellie. New relationship Half or quarter of such jest re so well-realized that the!, “‘Crossing swords with Half a score at once streaming on Netflix generally! Other as they await the beginning of a new relationship as Cyrano continues tell! T around when Edmond Rostand Cyrano 's Monologue describing his own nose hard stuff out for themselves the... the!, Cyrano Savinien Hercule de Bergerac ( Laughter. film takes pleasure in the details the cramp:! S all in effect, allowing her characters ’ inner conflicts to expressed. Cyrano continues to tell the story becomes one-dimensional feels like the Knight Christmas! Isn ’ t a story about love, deceit, and Lemire also a. ( Collin Chou ), who needs help winning over a popular girl film takes pleasure in film... Swords with Half a score at once “The Half of It work wasn! The day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning trying to draw away the VISCOUNT. They await the beginning of a new relationship Ellie is harboring a on. His mighty battle to the curious cadets, “‘Crossing swords with Half a score at once,,. Influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products via! ’ inner conflicts to be expressed in real and often contradictory time as friendship...

the half of it cyrano de bergerac

Redmi 4a Display With Frame, Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference 2020, Redmi 4a Display With Frame, How To Sell Virtually, Cgst Act With Latest Amendments Pdf, Redmi 4a Display With Frame, Pella Casement Window Adjustment, Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference 2020, Iras Penalty For Late Filing, Weather Anchor Mama,
the half of it cyrano de bergerac 2020