20 Something Betters (from "Roxanne")

"Roxanne" (1987) was a modern retelling of Edmond Rostand's 1897 verse play Cyrano de Bergerac, adapted by Steve Martin.

Steve Martin had always been a fan of the Jose Ferrer version of Cyrano de Bergerac:

"I remember just thinking it was the greatest thing I ever saw. I think it's because the character is so strong. He's like a very smart version of what, coincidentally, is popular in movies today. He's smarter than everybody else, quicker than everybody else, wittier than everybody else and tops everybody. That's what the original Cyrano is like. And this just sort of takes that vicious edge off it."

In the early 1980s Martin had the idea of updating the play, only with the difference that Cyrano would get the girl in the end. He decided to write the screenplay himself, doing 25 drafts over three years.

Roxanne was filmed in the summer of 1986 in the town of Nelson, British Columbia. Steve Martin chose to use the local fire hall on Ward Street as a primary set.

Steve Martin's nose make up took 90 minutes to apply every day and two minutes to take off. 

The "20 Something Betters" speech in the film mirrors a similar speech in the play. It even includes a line from the play:

Cyrano: "Oh, how you must love the little birds so much that when they come and sing to you, you give them this to perch on."

C.D.: "You must love the little birdies to give them this to perch on."