CYRUS REVIEW

Many would argue that comedy is one the toughest gigs to nail, from a timing perspective all the way to the delivery and body language. Good comedic actors are often thought as really good actors in general. Many don’t ever break away from that same old comedy formula, but the ones that do really shine bright and you’ll need shades on to watch John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill in Cyrus.
Reilly plays John who’s basically on the scrap heap. Sure he’s got a job as an editor but that's about it. His ex- wife of 7 years turns up to tell him that she’s getting married again, and convinces him to try and go out and meet somebody new. Reluctantly John hits a party with his ex-wife and her new husband to be. Eventually, he goes all Irish and gets completely obliterated and chances his arm with a selection of female party attendees. Of course he fails epically at this, until he wanders outside and goes for a piss in a bush. With captain winky in hand, Molly (Marisa Tomei) turns up. After possibly one of the greatest pieces of dialogue this year (“I’m Shrek! What are you doing in the forest with Shrek”) the two hit it off and embark on a bit of a fling. Every time there’s pants removal, Molly never stays the night. Instead, she hits the road and goes home, never explaining why. Curiosity soon befalls John and he follows her home, and after sleeping IN the car all night he soon discovers why she makes a hasty exit. After a bit of early morning snooping, John meets Cyrus…Molllys son. He’s invited into the house and they kinda hit it off. But things go from bad to devious quite quickly as Cyrus attempts to make sure the relationship never gets off the ground.


At times, Cyrus and Molly exhibit quite a bizarre relationship, almost incestuous at times. Ok, so while there not banging each others brains out, they are quite close and physical in some scenes. And that makes John uncomfortable as he wonders what the hell has been going in in this kids life for over 20 years, and the audience will be wondering the exact same thing. At times Cyrus feels like a fly on the wall documentary, or even some high value voyeur video as you really are there every step of the way. The way its shot, with sudden closeups and some shaky handheld stuff adds to the overall vibe.
Marisa Tomei does a good job here. She does convince as a mother who is completely consumed manipulated by her son, and her performance overall is faultless, but doesn’t ignite the screen at the same time either. Jonah Hill is incredibly good here. While Cyrus is a dark comedy, it’s far removed from the likes of Get Him To The Greek and Superbad. And as previously mentioned, fine comedic actors make really good actors, and Hill is no exception. The emotional rollercoaster he puts the audience on is quite bizarre and demented, but its ohh so good. The scene in the toilet at the wedding, and the stair scene near the end show a side to Hill that most will have never seen. But for me, the star of the show is John C. Rielly. Rielly Like Hill he is in a place far removed from the likes of Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, but puts in a stunning performance. Sure the great comedic timing is there as is the chemistry with Hill,  but the rest of performance is spot on. You do really connect with Rielly’s character and it had me feeling incredibly sorry for the guy and even making me reflect on my own relationship with my wife. Profound shit!
If you go to see Cyrus expecting one liner after one liner and hair brained situations, you will be sorely disappointed. Step Brothers it ain’t. What it is, is something that has terrific performances from it’s cast, a decent story, good pace, laughs in the right places and while it’s twisted and dark, it certainly has a feel good factor to boot! Really enjoyable!