NOTHING TO DO WITH HANNAH MONTANA
Cyrus
**1/2
Review by Mark Tucci
If you’ve seen the trailer, the film Cyrus looks like another comedy ripe with antics such as those in other films starring the two lead actors. That it ends up being something completely different works both to its favor and its detriment.
Borrowing a simple and somewhat familiar plot, the movie sets itself up as a standard relationship triangle between long-time single guy, John (John C. Reilly), single-mother, Molly (Marisa Tomei), and Cyrus (Jonah Hill) – the major difference being that Cyrus is Molly’s son, and he’s 21 rather than 10. While this sounds like the makings of an over-the-top, vindictive, slapstick comedy of embarrassment, what we get is much more subtle and subdued.
Directors Jay and Mark Duplass (Baghead, The Puffy Chair) continue to expand on their mumblecore movement roots – mumblecore being loosely rehearsed, roughly sketched scenes and improvisational dialog. That it succeeds at all in this film is largely thanks to John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill’s skilled performances and on-screen chemistry.
However, Cyrus is a film that doesn’t seem to know quite what it wants to be. I know what the marketing people want you to think it is: 2010’s Step Brothers. Indeed, many of the people in the theatre were expecting exactly that, and I heard plenty of grumbling afterwards about its failure to deliver on what the trailer seemed to promise. Once again, the trailer showcased 90% of the film’s funnier moments. Keep this in mind before checking it out below.
Make no mistake: Cyrus, though billed as a comedy, is really more of a dramatic exercise in passive-aggressive behavior and restraint. That this happens to present comedic situations and exchanges feels more like a bonus rather than part of the plan, thanks again to the talents of Reilly and Hill. There are plenty of moments in this movie where you think you know what’s going to happen. You think you know, because you’ve seen similar scenes in other comedies where it does happen. The often surprising thing with Cyrus is that it doesn’t happen here.
I applaud the directors and actors for choosing the road less travelled and not devolving into cliche, the only problem is that what we get instead isn’t necessarily the better option. It’s precisely because of this that the movie tends to feel a little lost – trying often to let nuance, drama, and good acting carry the scene rather than the expected easy gag. Sometimes this works quite well, other times it doesn’t. Such is the gamble with the mumblecore movement.
Another place the film tended to break down was in the pacing. 92 minutes felt more like two hours and the awkward, uncomfortable situations seemed to linger on screen just a little too long. However intentional this might have been, it didn’t seem to work for me. Oh, and can we officially call an end to the whole constantly-moving-and-zooming camera style? It didn’t work as intended here and often drew too much attention to itself.
Beyond the technical aspects though, there is much good to be said about the film’s two leads. Reilly and Hill’s combative relationship on screen plays out nicely, and they really do a good job of bringing their characters to life. Reilly deftly wrestles with the conflicts of his relationship with Tomei, as well as with the antagonistic, unnerving behavior brought on by Hill. Hill is in a whole new element here and he takes to the challenge quite nicely. This is a role unlike anything we’ve seen him in before and his performance constantly keeps the audience guessing as to whether he’s as messed up as he seems.
Reilly and Hill comprise just about everything that is good in this film. Marisa Tomei, while having her moments, is just not as believable as her two male co-stars, and the rest of the cast seem to exist entirely so John can bounce his frustrations off someone.
As a case study for improv acting and the appreciable talents of people like Reilly and Hill who can pull it off, Cyrus succeeds and has merit in viewing. There are moments of real brilliance, real emotion and real comedy – they just don’t all add up to a real movie.
Directed by: Jay and Mark Duplass
Release Date: June 18, 2010
Run Time: 92 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Distributor: Scott Free Productions
