Cyrus (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Cyrus' (written & directed by the kings of the independent film mold, the Duplass brothers) opens with socially inept John (John C. Reilly) receiving some horrible news: his friend and ex-wife of 7 yrs., Jamie (the always amusing Catherine Keener), is marrying her boyfriend, Tim (Matt Walsh). Feeling guilty about abandoning him, Jamie invites John to join her & Tim to a party - with hope that the self-loathing John can maybe hit it off with a single lady, there. John doesn't want to go - of course - but he grudgingly agrees to appease Jamie. At the party, he actually manages to meet a beautiful woman (much to everyone's surprise, including himself) named Molly (a genial Marisa Tomei). After a little conversation outside, followed by an impromptu song & dance inside, drinks are had, chemistry is sparked, one thing leads to another, & she goes home with him. When he wakes up, he finds a note, & sees Molly leave the house.
Curious as to where she lives, and thinking he's found the woman of his dreams, he follows her. What he discovers is that Molly has another man in her life - a 21 yr. old son named Cyrus (Jonah Hill). At first, Cyrus seems normal-ish (though, a bit creepy - with his blank stares & sweetly awkward demeanor) ... but it soon becomes apparent that something is 'off'. Plainly put, though he's 21, he still acts like a 5 yr. old in mommy's presence; a mama's both, through & through. They are each other's best friends. And NO ONE will take away his mommy from him - most of all, John. Cyrus starts subtly sabotaging John; so as to show Molly how bad he is for 'them'. Cyrus won't share his mom with anyone. And before long, these 2 dysfunctional men find themselves at odds ... to put it mildly.
I just don't know what the hell to think about 'Cyrus'. I LOVED the beginning 15 min. (where John C. Reilly busts out singing an 80's tune at the party and everyone joins in with him). I just really dug the natural, easy way the 1st 10 min. unfolded/evolved. And I really liked the genuine, heartfelt final 10 min. But then, there was the 60 min. in between. Not a fan. Actually, now that I think about it, most of those 60 min. involved Jonah Hill's Cyrus, himself. Well, I can't really sell him too short - or any of the actors for that matter. I blame the Duplass brothers for issues I have with the middle of the film. 'Cyrus' seems to want to say something about mothered men, & the mom's who allow it, but the movie is just too ponderous. There's no oomph. Dialogue is hard to come by.
And when someone IS talking, it's very mumbly, ad-libbed & ineffective. i.e., Molly walks into a room and flirtingly says to John, "Hi. Hiii, hey, so, hi. How are you, huh? Yeah, so, umm {laughs}, hi. {laughs}, mmm ..." This type of off-the-cuff dialogue is irritating; especially because it's clear that the actors are improvising & have little to work with. There's very little character subtext. In fact, I was irked that most of the narrative is from John's point of view. Most of what occurs in the plot (which is little to begin with) is seen, heard, & thought through John. This made me disconnect from Molly & Cyrus at critical points. i.e., I often thought, "why isn't Molly doing something about this?", "what must Cyrus be thinking right now?", etc.. The Duplass brothers just needed to go the extra mile in most aspects of their movie: funny lines, tonal changes, or actual story. The movie is 85 min. long, & you can tell that they were stretching things to make it 85.
All that said, because 'Cyrus' accurately portrays the awkwardness that comes along with trying to fit into other's lives ... I can't walk away hatin' on it. Nothing in the film will make you roar with laughter (as commercials would have led on). But there's a dry humor to the proceedings. It shows how dicey middle-aged romance can get. And though there is too much left unanswered, the down-to-Earth aspect of the film saves it - barely. Small portions of 'Cyrus' are intelligent, fun, & tender. But I don't know why this movie is as well-received (critically) as it is. Guess I missed the boat.
Curious as to where she lives, and thinking he's found the woman of his dreams, he follows her. What he discovers is that Molly has another man in her life - a 21 yr. old son named Cyrus (Jonah Hill). At first, Cyrus seems normal-ish (though, a bit creepy - with his blank stares & sweetly awkward demeanor) ... but it soon becomes apparent that something is 'off'. Plainly put, though he's 21, he still acts like a 5 yr. old in mommy's presence; a mama's both, through & through. They are each other's best friends. And NO ONE will take away his mommy from him - most of all, John. Cyrus starts subtly sabotaging John; so as to show Molly how bad he is for 'them'. Cyrus won't share his mom with anyone. And before long, these 2 dysfunctional men find themselves at odds ... to put it mildly.
I just don't know what the hell to think about 'Cyrus'. I LOVED the beginning 15 min. (where John C. Reilly busts out singing an 80's tune at the party and everyone joins in with him). I just really dug the natural, easy way the 1st 10 min. unfolded/evolved. And I really liked the genuine, heartfelt final 10 min. But then, there was the 60 min. in between. Not a fan. Actually, now that I think about it, most of those 60 min. involved Jonah Hill's Cyrus, himself. Well, I can't really sell him too short - or any of the actors for that matter. I blame the Duplass brothers for issues I have with the middle of the film. 'Cyrus' seems to want to say something about mothered men, & the mom's who allow it, but the movie is just too ponderous. There's no oomph. Dialogue is hard to come by.
And when someone IS talking, it's very mumbly, ad-libbed & ineffective. i.e., Molly walks into a room and flirtingly says to John, "Hi. Hiii, hey, so, hi. How are you, huh? Yeah, so, umm {laughs}, hi. {laughs}, mmm ..." This type of off-the-cuff dialogue is irritating; especially because it's clear that the actors are improvising & have little to work with. There's very little character subtext. In fact, I was irked that most of the narrative is from John's point of view. Most of what occurs in the plot (which is little to begin with) is seen, heard, & thought through John. This made me disconnect from Molly & Cyrus at critical points. i.e., I often thought, "why isn't Molly doing something about this?", "what must Cyrus be thinking right now?", etc.. The Duplass brothers just needed to go the extra mile in most aspects of their movie: funny lines, tonal changes, or actual story. The movie is 85 min. long, & you can tell that they were stretching things to make it 85.
All that said, because 'Cyrus' accurately portrays the awkwardness that comes along with trying to fit into other's lives ... I can't walk away hatin' on it. Nothing in the film will make you roar with laughter (as commercials would have led on). But there's a dry humor to the proceedings. It shows how dicey middle-aged romance can get. And though there is too much left unanswered, the down-to-Earth aspect of the film saves it - barely. Small portions of 'Cyrus' are intelligent, fun, & tender. But I don't know why this movie is as well-received (critically) as it is. Guess I missed the boat.