Sometimes a movie starts off brilliantly, only to wander aimlessly in the 2nd or 3rd act as if it had no idea where to go. Such is the case with “Cyrus” — a dark comedy that forgets to fully commit to its premise.
The consistently brilliant John C. Reilly plays John, a depressed loser who is talked into going to party by his ex-wife. The goal is to shake him out of his self-loathing, self-pitying cycle and meet some girls. Unfortunately, his efforts at flirting are painful to watch and it looks as if the night will end empty-handed. Nevertheless, he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei), who does all the hard work for him. She instigates the conversation and seems to be charmed by his “uncool” nature. The night ends well.
Soon, John and Molly are involved in a burgeoning relationship… with one massive complication. Cyrus is Molly’s 22 year-old live-at-home son, played creepily by Jonah Hill. The mother-son relationship is odd, to say the least. They appear to be far too close, and John is obviously quite uncomfortable with the situation. It all leads to a tense confrontation between the new boyfriend and the fully grown son. Which one is going to get the girl???
The first half of the film is intriguing. I fully expected it to develop into a riotous comedy or a nail-biting drama… or both. Instead, “Cyrus” is neither. It just gets watered down in a sea of earnestness and cheap sentiment. I really wanted this film to go for it like gangbusters. Get cruel! Get warped! Get brave! Do something resembling anything!!! Nope… when it is all said and done, “Cyrus” passes through with all the bluster of a silent fart.
