CYRUS—funny 2010 comedy-drama from the Frustration Department has divorced and depressed John C. Reilly (great again) lucking out by meeting warm and attractive single mom Marisa Tomei (basically the dictionary definition of ‘warm and attractive’) and they begin a romance. Main hitch is a doozy ,in the large, weird form of her son, played by Jonah Hill. Hill dials back on the noise level from his earlier off-putting obnoxiousness and makes ‘Cyrus’ a believable creep, jealous and obsessed with Mom, but one with enough about him that’s pitiable (he’s a 21-year old New Age musician for a start: strike one), so that his weirdness doesn’t upset the movie like it does Reilly’s suitor.
Sharing his music soundscapes
Written & directed by Jay & Mark Duplass, in another of their witty, incisive and simpatico looks at loneliness, ala Jeff Who Lives At Home. It’s a mixture of dark and sweet, goofy and real, ultimately winning: it likes its characters and doesn’t stoop to mocking them for laughs. The three leads are faultless, encouraged by the Duplass brothers to improvise and they’re all more than up to it. Catherine Keener makes a strong backup as Reilly’s fed-up, but kindly ex-wife who’s getting remarried (to Matt Walsh).
91 minutes, it took $7,000,000 to get the indie made, but it only pulled back 9,932,000. With Diane Mizota, Katie Aselton and Tim Guinee.
