(2010)
3.5
Perry Seibert
With Cyrus, mumblecore mavens Jay and Mark Duplass graduate to a cast of Oscar nominees and movie stars without sacrificing their idiosyncratic directorial voice.
The movie stars John C. Reilly as John, a middle-aged, lonely divorced guy who, as the film opens, gets dragged to a party by his remarried ex-wife (Catherine Keener) -- who remains his best friend. After a few clumsy, drunken passes at a variety of women, John encounters Molly (Marisa Tomei), an attractive single mom who finds John's social awkwardness appealing. They hit it off, and quickly begin a tender new relationship. Problems soon arise in the form of Cyrus (Jonah Hill), Molly's twentysomething son, who has an off-puttingly close relationship to his mom. Soon the jealous Cyrus sets about trying to break them up, and John must figure out how to deal with this unhinged and unexpected rival.
The key to Cyrus' success is the casting. There are few actors who can embody a well-meaning everyman like Reilly. His John is a schlump, but his essential sweetness is never far from the surface -- you never question why anyone as attractive as Molly would be interested in him. For her part, Tomei makes Molly's bond with Cyrus intense, without crossing the border into something incestuous. Without her hitting the right notes, the film could devolve quickly into a sick joke, or an audience-alienating exercise in deadpan comedic shock. The other key to keep the film from toppling over into overly disturbing territory is Hill. With his thick neck and big eyes, he resembles an infant -- a fact that helps keep any sexual tension from ever building. By maintaining a low-key comic sensibility while simultaneously expressing both John's and Cyrus' love for Molly, the movie feels populated with real people as opposed to writer's creations.
This lack of artifice is exactly what the Duplass brothers strive for in their films, but it takes actors of exceptional skill to be charismatic when their characters aren't. By assembling a cast of established talents, Jay and Mark haven't created a crass attempt to reach a larger audience, but instead have fashioned a calling card that will attract great actors for their future projects, and help the duo maintain their indie cred for as long as they want.
Cyrus on AllMovie
Cyrus (2010)
