Review: CYRUS

CYRUS is the tale of a lonely slob who meets the perfect woman. They fall in love and all is bliss until he discovers her only flaw. And it’s a big one: Cyrus, her psychotically clingy son. CYRUS is a clever, off-balance comedy that defies expectations. If this were a warm-hearted Hollywood comedy, the son would be a precocious 12 year old dreaming up wacky physical schemes to get this potential step-dad out of the picture before finally accepting him into the family. But this Cyrus is an adult child and is an even bigger loser than John. CYRUS is a smart independent film that provides its one-joke premise with depth and complexity and goes off in weird, surprising directions.  It is highly recommended.

The central character in CYRUS is John (John C. Reilly) who, though divorced seven years, finds life even more depressing when his ex Jamie (Catherine Keener) informs him she’s getting remarried.  They’re on friendly terms and Jamie urges John to attend a party she’s throwing and he reluctantly agrees. Attempting to mingle with the female partygoers, John finds his social skills lacking, so he gets plastered. He meets a woman there named Molly (Marisa Tomei), a flirty beauty who stumbles across him while he’s peeing in the bushes. Instantly attracted to each other, the two begin dating. When Molly continually leaves in the middle of the night, John decides to follow her home and discovers the reason for her hurried getaways: Cyrus (Jonah Hill), her dysfunctional 21-year-old son who still lives at home and demands her full attention.  What John suspects as simply a slightly odd mother-son relationship (they share a bathroom even when she’s showering) escalates into a battle of wits when Cyrus feels his mother’s affections shifting and becomes determined to break the couple up by any means necessary.

Despite its Apatow-friendly cast, CYRUS is not the broad, raunchy comedy it’s being marketed as, but more an uncomfortable mix of humor and drama.  The Writer/director team of Mark and Jay Duplass have a twisted view with the laughs often coming from scenes of confrontation and embarrassment. It starts off with some hearty laughs (John’s sloppy-drunk behavior at Jamie’s party is both hilarious and a whole lot of awkward), but as the film becomes darker as it pregresses. While Cyrus isn’t antagonistic on the outside, he’s definitely hostile and manipulative. He has no interest in seeing his comfortable life with his mother, with whom he spends all of his time with,  (“She’s my best friend” he keeps saying) threatened by this interloper, and he tells John so, though he also says he’ll deny it if John tries to rat him out to his mom. Cyrus is a massively overweight, 21-year-old shut-in and it takes a while to realize just how pathetic and sad he is. John, who’s not unlike the character Reilly played in STEPBROTHERS, isn’t much more mature, nor ultimately much different, than Cyrus.

CYRUS is perfectly cast. While I feel Jonah Hill is in danger of being overexposed as an actor, his Cyrus is something completely different. With his crew cut, burning gaze, and eerie calm he’s more than a bit creepy. A scene where he bugs his eyes out while performing New Agey music on his bank of synthesizers while John lamely attempts to nod his head in rhythm is as unsettling as it is hilarious. John C. Reilly is at his best as the loveable schlub and Tomie, who at first seems way out of John’s league, convinces us that she finds his awkward honesty endearing. The Duplass brothers have made a funny but warped film that made me want to catch up with their earlier films BAGHEAD and THE PUFFY CHAIR. CYRUS is an offbeat winner and recommended to those looking for something a bit different.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars