Review: Cyrus

How many times has the "awkward/quirky but fun" independent romantic-comedy been done now? Too many times to count, at least in my mind. Sometimes it works really well (500 Days of Summer was, in my opinion, one of the best films of last year), while sometimes it falls flat.

The latest in the genre is Cyrus, a relationship dramedy starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marisa Tomei. How does it stack up against the rest of the hit or miss film that have preceded it?

Read on to find out Dylan's opinion!


Cyrus tells the story of John (Reilly), a divorced man who lives by himself and spends most of his time either at home or at the editing studio where he works. One night, he is visited by his ex-wife Jame (Catherine Keener), who comes to tell him that she is engaged to her boyfriend. Feeling sorry for John, Jamie tells him to come to a party she's going to, wanting him to get back out and meet some new women. It's clear that John isn't exactly great at flirting-at one point he decides to tell a woman he's talking to that's he depressed and in a downward spiral after finding out his ex-wife is getting married, opting for the "honest" approach. It scares her off, but gains the attention of Molly (Tomei), a beautiful woman who praises John for the honesty of his speech. John can't believe his luck but almost blows it again, deciding to skip out on talking with her for a short while in order to dance to The Human League's Don't You Want Me.

Reilly giving it his all as John, in one of my favorite scenes

In a great moment, however, Molly comes in and decides to sing with John in the song, making them the only two at the party who are into it. They end up spending the night together, and suddenly John is back in it, and with a woman who seems too good to be true. That's why he becomes suspicious when Molly excuses herself in the middle of the night, saying she has to get home. In desperation and curiosity, John follows her home and inadvertently falls asleep parked in the street. The next morning, he tries a sneak attack on Molly's house, seeing if he can get a glimpse of what's going on. He's greeted by a young man who introduces himself as Molly's son, Cyrus.

John apologizes for snooping, but Cyrus invites John in to relax and wait for Molly to get home. In the mean time, Cyrus plays his space-age electronic music, which he says is inspired by nature. Naturally, Molly comes home and is shocked and embarrassed to find that John has discovered what she was hiding. Cyrus, however, suggests John stay for dinner, and all three seem to get along.

Or do they? As time goes on, Cyrus' intentions seem stranger and stranger-he's incredibly welcoming to John, but also incredibly clingy towards his mother, who raised him by herself after Cyrus' dad left. Before long, John gets the feeling Cyrus is intentionally trying to break him and Molly up.

So there it is...the age-old set up of a couple who only want to be happy together, but are attempted to be forced apart by a third party. So the question is...does it work?

Honestly, yes! The humor of the film derives largely from Cyrus and John's relationship, though it never seems too slapstick or over the top. Another factor in Cyrus's success is how possible it all feels-the characters all have shades of people you meet every day, and the relationship between John and Molly seems very genuine. That alone sets Cyrus apart from a lot of movies that share it's indie rom-com-dramedy genre.

Bottom Line: Through good writing, great performances, and a sense of realism that still manages to be funnier than a lot of recent comedies, Cyrus manages to set itself above the slew of romantic comedies that seem to come out in droves.

Grade: B+