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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Jun 30, 2010
"Cyrus"
“Cyrus”
(Fox Searchlight)
Mumblecore continues the quest for a mainstream audience with the dark romantic comedy “Cyrus,” co-written/co-directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass (who starred in 2009’s mumblequeer feature “Humpday”). Following, as it does, on the heels of “Greenberg” (starring Ben Stiller and mumblecore goddess Greta Gerwig), it looks like the crossover has officially begun and mumblecore mania is here to stay.
Socially awkward John (John C. Reilly), who compares himself to Shrek, has been divorced from Jamie (Catherine Keener) for seven years. But John but still relies on Jamie for advice, guidance and occasional companionship, in spite of her impending marriage to Tim (Matt Walsh). However, all of that changes when John meets the seemingly out of his league Molly (Marisa Tomei).
Molly’s life is “complicated” and she moves at a cautious pace. But overeager John wants more. Of course he gets more than he bargained for when he meets Molly’s pampered, 20-something, live-at-home son Cyrus (Jonah Hill). At first, neither John nor Cyrus sees the other as a threat. It doesn’t take long before that changes.
Part psychological thriller/part pitch-black comedy, “Cyrus” pits the potential love interest and the controlling son against each other in a war of the wits. The manipulative Cyrus plays Molly and John against each other, although his mad mission backfires on him. Even at its darkest, “Cyrus” manages to find humor in the most unexpected (and uncomfortable) places and is surprisingly touching at times.
