Cyrus

Cyrus is the latest "mumblecore" (mumblecore is the term often used for small indie films that improvisation is a heavy component of the dialogue) film directed by the Duplass brothers starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marisa Tomei. Reilly's character, John, is a divorced forty-something year old who spends most of his nights alone. When his ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener) invites him to a party, he meets Molly (Tomei), and surprisingly enough there is a flame between them that quickly ignited into a relationship. However, the relationship quickly inherits a third wheel: Molly's son, Cyrus (Hill). When Cyrus is introduced to John, he is not too excited about his Mom sharing time between him and her new lover. As a whole, everyone was tremendous in this film; I can't say one "out-performed" any of the rest of the cast. The first act was entirely a comedy giving the audience the majority of their laughs in the first twenty minutes. The second act was a lot of the relationship developing between the lead trio. Due to the style of how the film was made, the movie dragged on a bit and had a lot of slow scenes with little to nothing going on. Although, the middle was a little dry, I thought the story was completely original, and even a bit bizarre. You could define Cyrus as a romantic comedy, but there is so much more to take from it than just a formulaic plot and a cute lead. Everyone has their differences and sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to see someone you love happy. Reilly's character vulnerability shows the entire film by wearing his heart on his sleeve and accepting anything Molly and Cyrus throws his way. I think loneliness has taken a toll on him and once he found a woman he was interested in again, he wanted to ensure it would work out. Cyrus is a romantic, awkward, and funny drama that deserves more light than most of the movies out there, so do the Duplass brothers a favor and check it out!