Movie Review: CYRUS
Review:
Have you ever been in a dark place emotionally and all of a sudden a ray of hope seems to crash into your life by chance and save you from your measly existence? Well that can be said for John played by John C. Reilly in the movie Cyrus when he meets Molly, played by Marissa Tomei. John has had a rough few years since his ex-wife, played by Catherine Keener, left him and recently announced her upcoming marriage. John’s life turns around in an instant and as a result of a chance meeting at a party. Their relationship starts like many with a one night stand and then an actual date. Everything is looking up for John, his life is on the mend and there is a bounce in his step. John and Molly’s relationship is soon takes an interesting turn when John meets Molly’s son Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill. Cyrus has had Molly’s full attention for 21 years and now has to compete with John for her attention. You will have to watch the movie to see who will win or if there is a real winner in this situation.
This film is a interesting mix of comedy and drama even though it has been marketed as a comedy. Do not get me wrong John C. Reilly is hilarious as usual because of the fact that he is such a real person that you can relate to and his line delivery is spot on. Jonah Hill definitely shows his ability to not just play a silly and raunchy character with Cyrus which is a nice change of pace. Cyrus has a very unique relationship with his mother Molly. Marisa Tomei and Hill really were believable as a mother and son in this film.
Catherine Keener has become a staple character actor for films that are offbeat comedies. Her role as John’s ex-wife is not her best work as of late but it is a decent showing. I felt uncomfortable not only for the relationship that Cyrus and Molly have but the relationship that John and Keener’s character have. John is so dependent on her that it bothers me and I can understand why their relationship may not have worked.
John and Cyrus are at odds throughout the film which result in some very humorous and heartwarming scenes. I think that in reality they are so much at odds with each other because they are both dependent on the women in their lives for their happiness. Cyrus is dependent on Molly and John on his ex-wife. Usually when I think of people that rub me the wrong way, deep down we are truly alike in many ways. For this reason this film is too real to me which detracted from the comedic value of the story.
The Bottom Line:
There are some good laughs in this film making it a unique movie. I can relate the way Cyrus made me feel to the way I felt after seeing Dan In Real Life. Both films have a great mix of comedy and drama. Cyrus to me is a decent movie with great character actors and a unique story line but overall fell a little flat. I think there was a dash too much of reality and drama for my taste and would have loved a bit more comedy.
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