In a summer full of expensive blockbusters and juvenile comedies, Cyrus is a welcome relief. This low key, 92 minute comedy manages to be quirky, dark and sweet. It has an indie low budget feel, but boasts a big star cast.

John (John C. Reilly) is lonely and cannot seem to connect with women. Although he has remained friends with his ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener), the news of her impending marriage to Tim (Matt Walsh) hits him hard. When Jamie and Tim drag John to a party, John meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) and it looks like John has finally found love. But Molly lives with her adult son Cyrus (Jonah Hill), who seems too dependent on his mother. As Molly and John grow closer, Cyrus escalates his attempts to sabotage their relationship. But the surprise is when the mild John fights back.  Can anyone win this war?

Writers/directors Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass say they like to hold the cameras themselves, and let the actors work without marks. There is a script, but the actors are encouraged to improvise. (A similar technique was used in the film Humpday, which starred Mark Duplass.)  Combined with the hand held camera look, tight close-ups and minimal soundtrack, Cyrus has the feel of documentary.  It also feels as though the directors stepped back to let the actors find their way. And Reilly, Hill and Tomei do not disappoint.

Reilly’s hangdog looks emphasize John’s insecurity. He rarely smiles during the first part of the film, and his relief at meeting Molly is palpable. He cannot believe a beautiful woman would be interested in him. “I am like Shrek; what are you doing here in the forest with Shrek?” he asks her. His drunken rendition of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” is hilarious precisely because it is not over the top; it seems realistic. Reilly’s subtle portrayal allows us empathize with John instead of pitying him.  We see John’s insecurity in Reilly’s tentative smiles and we see that he wants a real relationship. When Cyrus starts to mess with John, Reilly shows us that John is not a pushover.   Hill shows even more vulnerability here than his other summer comedy, Get Him to the Greek. Cyrus is well-spoken and calm when he invites John to stay for dinner and then questions John and Molly about their sex life, but Hill hints at darker depths. Hill radiates sincerity when he is with Molly, but shows his hostility when he threatens John with a steely gaze saying, “You are out of your league.” Hill manages to make this threat credible and hilarious at the same time. Tomei’s performance is relaxed and natural, as Molly radiates warmth and kindness. We understand why her lover and her son are so drawn to her. When Molly and Cyrus wrestle and hug, Tomei infuses the scenes with warmth, rather than weirdness. This makes those scenes even funnier and stranger.

Much of the humor in Cyrus comes from a real and bittersweet place. Cyrus and John are motivated by their loneliness. The psychological warfare between Cyrus and John is funnier because it is not mean-spirited; it is desperate and sad. Neither character realizes he is a mirror image of the other. Both are needy, insecure and lonely. John is inappropriately dependent on his ex-wife in the same way that Cyrus is inappropriately dependent on Molly. John cannot see that the warmth and compassion that he loves in Molly is the same warmth and compassion that allows her to indulge Cyrus. When Molly tells John that Cyrus, “has not come into himself yet” she could have been talking about John. Cyrus and John resent each other because they both see Molly as a woman who can rescue them from their sad lives. What I like most about this film is that this realization is gradual, and slowly builds. These characters moved me and they also made me laugh. Cyrus is a small film. In a summer of big budget blockbusters, that is more than fine with me.

Cyrus.  Directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass.  John C. Reilly (John), Jonah Hill (Cyrus), Marisa Tomei (Molly), Catherine Keener (Jamie) and Matt Walsh (Tim). Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2010.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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