BlackSheep
"Cyrus, Seriously Funny"
For the underappreciated screen treasures you love
A movie released July 09, 2010 directed by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass.
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Rating:
+4
CYRUS
Written and Directed by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass
Starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener
John: I know you’re not supposed to say this but I really like you. Is it crazy for me to say I want it to work out?
John: I know you’re not supposed to say this but I really like you. Is it crazy for me to say I want it to work out?
Love is tricky to figure out, to piece together so that it actually works out for all parties involved. Love is particularly tricky when you’re middle-aged, have been single for seven years, you’re not really so impressive on paper or in person and the object of your affections is in something of an unhealthy relationship with her 22-year-old-son. Yes, this is what makes love tricky in our modern existence but it is also what makes love oh so rewarding if you manage to get through it. Furthermore, in this particular case, it makes for the perfect comedic setup for the new Duplass brothers comedy, CYRUS, the summer’s first great indie-comedy.
John C. Reilly makes a fine return to the screen in a more complex, character-based role than he has played in recent memory. John, which is his name in the film and not a casual form of address for the actor, is seven years divorced and still hanging on to that relationship. As a result, he doesn’t do much outside of the house and dating is about as foreign a concept to him as a single sit-up must be given the state of his physique. Without wasting any time on showing us scene after scene to prove what a lonely loser John really is, writers/directors, Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, introduce John to Molly (Marisa Tomei) at a party his soon-to-be-remarried ex-wife (Catherine Keener) drags him to. They hit it off instantly which begs the question, what’s wrong with this girl?
As it turns out, she is quite lovely and she and John fall for each just like that. Just because she’s lovely though doesn’t mean she isn’t hiding plenty of ugly behind your back. The ugly I’m talking about here is Jonah Hill. I’m kidding; the actual ugly is the unhealthily close relationship she has with her son, Cyrus, played by the also lovely, Hill. Seriously, I actually think he’s hilarious. I’m not sure I wanted to see Hill or Reilly in so many high definition close-ups but it does help you see that they are not so dissimilar. This might be one good explanation why Cyrus makes it his personal mission to ensure John and Molly do not succeed as a couple despite the fact that they are both so much happier now that they’ve met.
The beauty of CYRUS, and there is a lot of it, is the natural way in which the Duplass brothers bring everything together perfectly. A sharp, subtle script, in which Cyrus and John battle intelligently instead of declaring war on each other in some farcical sense, is embodied seamlessly by a pitch perfect cast. Safe for a fairly conventional conclusion, the Dulplass brothers prove that real situations can be shown for the difficult messes they are and still be incredibly funny at the same time.
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Sheri_in_Reho
June 27, 2010
Thanks for the review! I just read Entertainment Weekly's review and was thinking this may be one for me to see in the theatre...I think your review just cemented that. :)
BlackSheep
June 27, 2010
Thanks! I haven't read the EW review yet. Glad I could help.
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woopak_the_thrill
June 26, 2010
John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei?! Consider me in. Man, great review, much appreciated! Our community's going to like these hidden gems!
BlackSheep
June 26, 2010
Honestly, see this movie. I thought it struck a really delicate tone. Very impressed. Falls apart a bit at the end but totally forgivable.
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More Cyrus (2010 movie) reviews
John, a middle-aged down-on-his-luck divorcee, meets a beautiful woman he thinks is way out of his league. Improbably, she digs him. The only trouble is her adult son, who just can't let go, and she doesn't seem to see a problem with their total lack of boundaries. The Duplass brothers follow up their quirky independent films The Puffy Chair and Baghead with an off-beat romantic comedy. While more conventional than their earlier efforts, and with a bigger … more
Comments (2)
Compliments (48)
While the premise is silly the story evolves around the clash of the conventional with the unconvent
Cyrus is a movie that flourishes as a warm feeling of both solitude and gratitude. At first I thought the story is just another dark drama but at the end it turned out to be a dark dramatic comedy. Of course the premise is kind of silly and unnatural since you are left in the middle of the story too fast with too little to follow but in time, the great execution raises the quality of the movie. It's not a great film, dazzling visually or incredibly expressive but it's … more
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Compliments (12)
If there ever was a movie for which the viewer needs to adjust their expectations before going in, it's CYRUS. The trailers for the film imply a small, but funny & antic comedy with Jonah Hill (SUPERBAD), John C. Reilly (STEP BROTHERS) and Marisa Tomei (MY COUSIN VINNY). Why did I pick those movies to put next to each performer? Because those are the kinds of performances that the trailers imply you will see. Instead, we get a small, wry and occasionally uncomfortable drama … more
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Compliments (12)
About the reviewer
Joseph Belanger (BlackSheep)
Ranked #3
Ranked #3
Hello Lunchers. I am a thirty-something guy making his way in Toronto. I am a banker by day and a film critic the rest of the time. Sensitive, sharp and sarcastic are just a few words that start with … more
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About this movie
Mumblecore auteurs the Duplass brothers (Baghead,The Puffy Chair) dip their toes in the precarious waters of Hollywood by casting well-known actors inCyrus. But their devotion to clumsy, uncomfortable people remains: John (John C. Reilly,Step Brothers) has barely left his apartment in the seven years since Jamie (Catherine Keener,Lovely & Amazing) divorced him, so Jamie demands he come to a party--where, miraculously, he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei,The Wrestler), who seems like the woman of his dreams. Unfortunately, Molly comes with some baggage: her 22-year-old son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill,Superbad). To say Molly and Cyrus are close is an understatement, and John finds himself in a battle of wills with Molly as the prize. The Duplass brothers seek a kind of cinematic simplicity--to call it purity would be too highbrow for these aggressively pedestrian filmmakers--and when it works, it brings the viewer in intimate contact with life in its ordinary, essential glory. When it doesn't work, it's just dull. Despite its flatfooted plot,Cyrusworks pretty well. The higher caliber of the cast helps--Reilly, Tomei, Hill, and Keener are all excellent, and much of the movie is genuinely funny. Don't expect elegance, but sometimes, something plain can please.--Bret Fetzer
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