Cyrus

The marketing for this movie is terribly misleading. It sells it as a zany comedy, which could not be farther from the truth. I'm not criticizing the film -- I thought it was quite good. But people are going to see this expecting something very different from what they get, and they're going to hold it unfairly against the film.

"Cyrus" is being billed as the first mainstream effort by mumblecore darling filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass ("Baghead"). But "Cyrus" is only mainstream in that it's released by a major studio (Fox Searchlight) and has recognizable actors in it (John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener). In subject and style, it imports many of the characteristics of traditional mumblecore -- offbeat humor, improvised feel, bare bones production values -- wholesale.

Which again is not a criticism. I've been impressed with some of the mumblecore entries I've seen recently, like the aforementioned "Baghead" and "Humpday." "Cyrus" is a complex exploration of an odd and at times uncomfortable set up, and that it doesn't take a glib or condescending attitude toward its characters or devolve into potty jokes and slapstick couldn't make it less mainstream.

Reilly plays a lonely man looking for love and finding it in Marisa Tomei. Unfortunately, with her he also finds Cyrus, her twenty-something and morbidly dependent son. He tries to be a buddy at first, until it's clear that Cyrus isn't all that he appears and doesn't want a new guy around. The two men declare war on one another until fists fly, both figuratively and literally.

"Cyrus" is a small miracle of tone. It keeps its audience constantly guessing as to which direction it's going to go. The weird mother/son relationship depicted is at first just funny, then funny in a kind of squirmy way, then flat out disturbing. But the film knows exactly when it's about to push credibility too far, and just before it does, it lets us in on more information that makes everything plausible. One of the things I responded to most is the respect with which the actors and writers treat these characters. These people are not put on display for us to mock, or feel superior to, or pity. These are people who are trying their best to navigate tricky emotional terrain in the best way they know how, and the actors playing them all give lovely performances.

A smart, witty and thoughtful film in a season of cinematic junk food.

Grade: A

Cyrus isn't really a comedy, though I wouldn't blame you if you have that impression before seeing the movie. Both Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly have been in a lot of comedies lately (though Reilly is fairly well-known for more serious movies like Magnolia and Boogie Nights), and the trailer doesn't do much to dissuade that notion. It does have some parts that are quite funny, but it gets more serious as the movie goes on, and is quite touching and raw at times. 

The story is about a divorced, lonely man (Reilly) who meets a seemingly perfect woman (Marisa Tomei). The only problem is that she has a live-in adult son Cyrus (Hill), and they're co-dependent on each other to the degree that Cyrus instantly hates the new man who (in his mind) is going to take his mother away. His solution is to sabotage their relationship. 

That sounds like the set-up for a broad comedy in the vein of Step-Brothers, but Cyrus sticks fairly close to its indie sensibilities. It's filmed in an almost documentary-type manner, the situations never really get too over-the-top or absurd, and the relationships remain the focus of the movie, throughout. The issues of co-dependency and parents and adult children having a hard time letting go of each other is treated pretty seriously. 

Cyrus was one of my most anticipated movies of 2010, and while I can't say it was as great as I hoped it would be, I ended up being pleasantly surprised by the tone it struck. I say keep an open mind and check it out.

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Cyrus, is a comedic drama that focuses on a divorced man, John (John C. Reilly), meeting the woman of his dreams, Molly (Marisa Tomei), and falling hard for her at a party, subsequently later meeting her grown up son, Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill. The movie was produced by Scott Free Productions, Ridley Scott's production company, and distributed domestically by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Jay and Mark Duplass are the creative minds behind the writing and directing of the picture, and Jas Shelton is the guy responsible for the shaky camera work prevalent throughout the movie. So, now that your familiarized with some of the players lets get down to brass tax.

This movie isn't what many will expect from the trailers, it's a semi- dark, dramedy that examines an unhealthy co-dependency between a mother and her twenty-something year old son, Cyrus. The trailers might have you believe you'll be watching a combination of Step Brothers and The Forty Year Old Virgin, but that isn't really the case. It's definitely much lighter in laughs than I expected, but it exposes some compelling emotional acting from Reilly and Hill that will certainly have critics applauding the "heart" of the film.

Jonah Hill adds further evidence to the case that he wants to break away from being typecast as the chubby, silly, practical joker, and delivers a much more serious performance in this film (Although, I wasn't so easily convinced by his more serious role in this movie, and found myself laughing out loud at times when that was definitely not the intended audience reaction). Reilly is near perfect at bringing vulnerability and desperation to his character, and he further demonstrates his prowess of making an audience laugh on several occasions. Tomei, also gives a memorable performance blending the ability to blindly see no wrong in her son while showing the desire to balance multiple relationships in order to make things work for a forty- something year old single mom (My apologies for how garbled that sounds, but it took too long to get out, so it stays). Catherine Keener turns in a good performance as a supportive ex-wife, that maybe should do better at creating borders between former partners. Matt Walsh, who plays her husband, gave a perfectly sarcastic depiction of the fiancé, who loves his future wife enough to put up with her sometimes idiotic, overly needy ex-husbands constant needs.

Overall, Cyrus, is a funny movie that might not be what moviegoers are expecting to see going into it, but it's emotional ups and downs, interesting subject material, clever improvisation, and great acting are enough to satisfy.

"It's great to have a new dad." Cyrus to John

If your girlfriend has a grown son living at home, see Cyrus; if you have one living with you, see it. For the rest of us, see Cyrus to enjoy American ensemble acting at its best: Molly (Marisa Tomei) and her 21-year old son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill), live in a very close relationship short of Oedipal but too close for either's growth.

The Duplass brothers, known for their quirky, loose film-making that includes restless shots and "mumblecore" style (the actors mostly improvise), have allowed these accomplished actors to express themselves in a realistic and charming way. While the plot seems episodic and unfocused, it is really a character-driven story with Molly the least developed of the characters.

The story's protagonist is John (John C. Reilly), a hang dog editor whose ex-wife is getting married and to whom Molly comes with the promise of a new life. Except for Cyrus, whose unusual attachment to his mom causes him to wage domestic war against John. While nothing unpredictable happens, and that is a flaw, the acting is first rate and the situations so believable (except for the oedipal hint) that this American comedy can be enjoyed for its European-style close-ups and lengthy scenes. The clichéd ending is to be endured with regret.

If you are still hooked on your ex-wife and have a girlfriend with a kid, see this film. If you're not, then enjoy the realism of story and acting. Although the Duplasses tend to move the lens abruptly from medium to tight, thereby emphasizing the personal nature of the film, rarely does American cinema get it right without CGI and rapid cutting. This is the right stuff.

Greetings again from the darkness. Trying to come up with the best way to describe this one. It seems to be billed as a comedy, but it's very dark and only funny in a few places. The drama is pretty weak at times and uncomfortable all of the time. The comedy really stems from the mano y mano of John C Riley and Jonah Hill. Marisa Tomei is a not so innocent bystander.

If you have seen the preview, you know the basic story. John C Riley is a bit of a socially inept oaf who gets dragged to a party and makes a fool of himself. Marisa Tomei views him as something of a lost puppy and takes him under her wing. The big reveal occurs when Tomei's grown son (Hill) shows up at an inopportune time. Yes, he lives with her and that have a very unique and close relationship.

Brothers Jay and Mark Duplass are known as part of the mumblecore movement - they subscribe to the less rehearsal and script school of film-making. Luckily for them, Hill and Riley take to this beautifully. Their scenes together are very good at creating an inner turmoil and utter frustration. Luckily for the audience, Riley's character has two scenes where he can unleash the lines that the viewers are all thinking! It makes for a nice release of tension.

Hill creates Cyrus as the epitome of a "sneaky little devil". OK, he's not so little, but the rest fits. His acts of subversion are well thought out and pure acts of passive aggressiveness. These three characters make for quite the odd little group, but there is surely some insight into single parenthood, loneliness and over-protective parenting. Don't expect a slapstick comedy in the Judd Apatow mold ... this one is a bit creepy and dark.