Cyrus

Cyrus (2010)
Directed by Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass
Length: 91 minutes
Rated R for language and some sexual material




Well hello once again! With today's review, we're going to do something a little different to start things off. It's called, How to Make a Movie with Chef Rushmore. This is a really easy recipe folks, but it's going to be great when you are done. First, get your blender/food processor. Next, we're going to toss in our ingredients: some Stepbrothers, the 2008 comedy staring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly; a handful of Prozac; and last some essence of "mumblecore" - a new popular indie genre featuring offbeat humor, sense of improvisation, and low budget production. Blend it all together and you get Cyrus, a quirky indie comedy that, while not full of zany comedic moments, has plenty of chuckle-worthy scenes that will surely entertain.

Divorced, depressed, and lonely, John C. Reilly (The Extra Man, We Need to Talk About Kevin) plays John, a freelance editor desperate for love. Enter Marisa Tomei (Salvation Boulevard, The Lincoln Lawyer) as Molly, the beautiful yet equally lonely soul John has sought. Both click and a beautiful relationship begins to blossom; that is until John finds out about Cyrus, Molly's overly attached son that will do whatever it takes to keep his mother to himself.

As the titular character, my man crush Jonah Hill (Get Him to the Greek, Megamind) is perfectly cast. His seemingly genuine compliments mixed with deadpan stares, subtle jokes, and later outright threats are comedic gold. The best scenes throughout the movie involve Cyrus and his trench warfare campaign to separate John and his mother Molly. While the previews may leave you thinking this is another outright comedy full of laughs, this is actually a little misleading. Certainly there are laughs to be had, but the film is more about two flawed people finding love, while Cyrus serves as the comedic commas.

Admittedly, the strongest scenes involve John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill shuffling for position over Molly's attention. However, an outright battle between the two a la Stepbrothers does not happen till the film is almost over. I can appreciate a film opting out of rehashing the same old low-brow/physical comedy bits, but it would have been nice to have more moments between Reilly and Hill. Particularly, one strong scene involves Cyrus showing John his work as a aspiring DJ - quite hilarious!

If your favorite comedies are typically films like Hot Tub Time Machine or Talladega Nights, then you probably won't enjoy Cyrus. But if you enjoy indie comedies like Wes Anderson films (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rushmore), then you may have found a new gem for your viewing pleasure. I really enjoyed this film, even though it certainly is flawed. I may not buy the DVD and watch it several times, but I would definitely recommend a viewing. If you can abate your expectations to laugh out loud throughout, I think you will find an enjoyable experience that will at least make you chuckle.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote:
Cyrus: "Don't fuck my mom."