FilmBuff1994
Cyrus is a good movie with a well developed storyline and a terrific comedic cast. It's certainly not an outstanding comedy and it's sometimes a lot more dramatic than I feel it actually needs to be, it should have had more funny scenes that were only made for the sake of making people laugh. John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill all work really well together, there was great chemistry between all three of them, their acting is very powerful and they clearly had fun making this, they're certainly the highlight of the entire movie. I think Cyrus needed to be developed much more, he was very unlikeable, I know the writers intended on this to a degree, but it needed more scenes to make him feel more human, John and Molly seemed like real people and then Cyrus just felt a cliché comedy movie character, which is not what this movie wanted to be, it wanted to be realistic. It's certainly filled with many flaws, but Cyrus also brings many laughs and has some great acting, I would recommend it if you ever see it on television and have some time to kill. A divorced man falls for a woman he meets at a party, but her 21 year old son aims to wreck the romance. Best Performance: John C. Reilly Worst Performance: Catherine Keener
paul2001sw-1
Most American romantic comedies follow a very tired script: beautiful people, a dull love triangle with an evil man-in-post, stupid attempts at humour. 'Cyrus' is a welcome departure from this script: the story of a middle aged couple, and the dramatic tension is provided not by a romantic rival, but by a needy child. Unfortunately, there's not so much drama here, and I didn't completely buy the premise: in the opening section, John C. Reily's character is such a loser that it's hard to see what Marisa Tomei's character sees in him; while it's also hard to believe that she would wait 20-something years after the birth of her son before attempting another relationship. Ultimately, there's just not enough substance here to make a good film, in spite of the broadly realistic setting; and it's not really very funny either.
Steve Pulaski
Cyrus is a challenging film to create, with a subject instantly able to drum up the strangest laughs and a raunchy comedy with heart. But the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, have taken the premise, given its characters to three mainstream actors, and allowed them to function freely and solemnly within its mumblecore style and premise. The idea of "indie with a budget" or "mainstream mumblecore" might put off a few fans of the genre, but, so far, it doesn't seem like commercialization or public pressure has totally thrown off the sights of many independent directors who use this format.Mumblecore, by definition, is film that utilizes a very small budget, relatively amateur actors, and naturalistic dialog with realism and plausibility in its script. Right off the bat, you can tell if that is your thing or not. Anything with "naturalistic" in the description is something I immediately am intrigued by. I feel film, while it can be the basis for some healthy escapism, should also be treated as another form of realism, showcasing real-world characters with believable, logic issues in the world. I am very much in favor of the Duplass Brother's revival to the type of filmmaking.Cyrus concerns a recently divorced, middle-aged man named John (John C. Reilly), who, one night, reluctantly goes to a party with his ex-wife. He meets and is instantly attracted to Maria Tomei's Molly, they talk, strike up some strange conversation, and then it's on to one of the funniest scenes in recent mainstream history; Reilly's John, clearly inebriated, doing a tone-deaf cover of "Don't You Want Me?" A few days later, John goes to, what he thinks is, Molly's house and finds a younger, twenty-ish man living there named Cyrus (Jonah Hill). Cyrus is her devoted son, an aspiring musician, and a very jealous soul to say the least. He puts on a pudgy, big-baby sort of appearance (Jonah Hill is absolutely perfect for this role) in an impassive way, and has completely won the heart of his mother, which is supposed to be won by John. When Molly returns home, surprised to find John there, the three sit down for an awkward dinner, where John opens up about his failed marriage and his writing/editing career.The brilliance of Cyrus comes from not its premise but the way it deals with humanity and the writing itself. It doesn't make this out to be a film riddled with raucous laughs just because two grown men are trying to win a woman's affection (although both actors could definitely try and do so). It takes the problem seriously, and the concept of family devotion and mother/so relationships with a heart and soul. It doesn't make it out to be a laugh riot.The characters we invest in become recognizably human, and all of them have great material to work with. John C. Reilly is wonderful, as always, playing his niche role, as a man on the edge of depression, in his middle-age, Jonah Hill handles the dramatic undertones in a strong way after doing various comedies before this, and Marisa Tomei is wonderful in her role as the sympathetic woman almost out of options.The Duplass Brothers have worked another gem, yet I still favor what would be their next effort, Jeff, Who Lives at Home a tad more. Both films have a pure and raw focus on humanity itself, and neither one strikes a wrong note, but I found that film to be a stronger work of nuance than this effort. The idea of intellectual comedies can go a long way, and the way will continue to get longer if the Duplass Brothers work in the field.Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei. Directed by: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass.
