Review of Cyrus (2010) by Marvin F — 05 Feb 2011

âCyrusâ? tells a story that could have been easily fumbled and ended up in the gutter. Fortunately, brothers Jay and Mark Duplass make a very capable writing and directing team. They have crafted a remarkably genuine film that handles its characters with great care and courtesy, and all while walking cautiously across a tight rope with no sign of a net below.

Of course, the net may very well have been the superb casting, which consists of some of the finest actors working today. John C. Reilly plays John, a nice guy who is lonely and depressed, but wants to believe so badly that he isnâ(TM)t. He is still close with his ex-wife (Catherine Keener), who invites him to a party one night to get him out of the house and meet someone.

He does meet someone, a beautiful woman named Molly (Marisa Tomei), and right away we see that she understands some of Johnâ(TM)s sadness. They retire to his bedroom, and the next morning, she is gone but has left note and her number. John is smitten, and begins to think that tough times are over. That is until he meets Mollyâ(TM)s son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill).

From here on, the filmmakers could have made an infinite number of errors in telling this story. As John gets to know Cyrus more, he realizes that something is not only off with him, but with his relationship with his mother. He sees a framed photograph of Cyrus breastfeeding at an add age. His shoes go missing. âCyrusâ? is a film of awkward moments and devious deceptions. There are no giant comic payoffs, but it is a culmination of subtle things that drive the overall tone of film.

It is great to watch Reilly and Tomei act together on screen. They each have incredible bodies of work that will hopefully continue to grow. Tomei is very convincing as Molly, who doesnâ(TM)t seem to realize anything too out of the ordinary. This is (a) because John and Cyrus for the most part feud ferociously but quietly and (b) she doesnâ(TM)t want to re-examine her own son in such a way, let alone her relationship with him. She is a warm, loving person who wants the best for everyone, including Cyrus. Reilly, as always, is a pleasure to watch on screen. He brings as much truth to John as he does to any of the characters he has played.

Hill has really grown as an actor. This is his most dramatic work to date, and he plays the disturbed man-boy Cyrus quite believably. He is a person who has some genuine neuroses that he has to deal with, and Hill gives John some looks in this movie that suggest that he simply doesnâ(TM)t see the world the same way. It is in those suggestive looks that we can perhaps see a lot of dramatic potential in the young actor.

The biggest problem I have about this film is the photography. Cinematographer Jas Shelton does some extraordinarily obnoxious work in this film that tends to be very distracting from the wonderfully written and acted scenes. It is intentionally shaky, hand-held work, but there is too much zooming going on here. Every other scene, there is a guaranteed shot involving a jerky zoom in and out, as if the camera operator is trying to correct the shot. Itâ(TM)s done so often that it draws far too much attention to itself, and it because annoying after a while. I have nothing against hand-held shooting, but a little control here would have really cleaned up the look of the film.

But despite its biggest flaw, the authenticity of this film really took me by surprise. There is nothing up the Duplass brothersâ(TM) sleeves, and every chance they have to make âCyrusâ? gimmicky is avoided. It is a relief to watch a film where the humor comes from sincere, human places, and the drama is just as honest.