Cyrus

DVD Reviews | Jan 4th, 2011

Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, Matt Walsh
Directed by: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Seven years after John (Reilly) has been divorced, he’s still trapped like a hermit in his apartment with no motivation to interact with the world. When his ex-wife Jamie (Keener) stops by to shake him out of his funk by announcing that she is getting re-married and at the same time forcing him to attend a party. Unsuspectingly John falls for the love of his life, Molly (Tomei) but then has to contend with her son Cyrus (Hill.) An indie-dramedy film that has a few laughs but overall was a good film.

John C. Reilly stars as John, a divorced man who is so depressed and bored with life that he’s never really left the house since breaking up. One day his ex wife Jamie stops by and makes him get out in public and attend a party he awkwardly gets back on the horse again, getting pretty drunk and hitting on every girl at the party. One girl strikes a chord with John, Molly who is instantly attracted to John. The two hook up and the curiosity of the love affair continues. John wants to know more about Molly because she certainly seemed nice but was also hiding something. Following her one morning, he realizes she has a 27 year old son Cyrus. The two meet and awkwardly get to know each other as Molly comes home from work. Cyrus is an odd bird to say the least. He keeps to himself and is very close with mom. Almost in a weird incestuous way, but it doesn’t go down that way. Cyrus enjoys making Techno music and going to the park with his mom, and John brings along his ex wife to hang out with them one day to see if she can make heads or tails of the Mother/Son relationship. John and Cyrus eventually comes to a head with the relationship that is blossoming between John and Molly and he is resentful that she will leave him all alone in the world and they will move out and grow distant.

For directors that have been involved with low budget and short films, landing a pretty big cast with John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill and Catherine Keener they have some talented actors to help portray this odd love story. It’s hard to imagine Reilly as the normal guy in this because of how he acted in “Step Brothers” with Will Ferrell. I was waiting for that type of character to emerge as with Jonah Hill as well. Instead, you get some light moments and fine acting especially with Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei. One could argue the performances deserve a little more attention and accolades this award season. I think so.

With the DVD comes only a few deleted scenes with some introductions from the directors so the lack of extras is disappointing. I would have enjoyed a gag reel especially with Reilly and Hill who seem to be a bunch of goofballs off camera. The film itself was a nice little surprise. I didn’t laugh out loud for often but it definitely has a few funny moments on screen. I like the banter back and forth between Reilly and Hill and really enjoyed the relationship triangle that existed on screen from all of them. For some odd reason the ending left me expecting some “dark comedy” tragedy but didn’t happen, which I was glad for. Overall, the film worked well.

Features:
Deleted Scenes “Puppet Movie” and “Cyrus Party”
Optional Introductions to Deleted Scenes by Directors/Writers Jay & Mark Duplass

Video:
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Surround
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround

Subtitles:
English, Spanish

Bottom Line: A nice blend of comedy and drama in this quirky little Independent film.
Running Time: 91 mins
Rating: R
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:

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