Cyrus (2010)

John and Molly, a divorced middle aged man and a single mother meet at a friends party and start up a small relationship, all John has to do now is meet Molly's son... Cyrus

Directors:

Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Writers:

Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass

Stars:

John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John C. Reilly	...	John
Jonah Hill	...	Cyrus
Marisa Tomei	...	Molly
Catherine Keener	...	Jamie
Matt Walsh	...	Tim
Diane Mizota	...	Thermostat Girl
Kathy Wittes	...	Ashley (as Kathy Ann Wittes)
Katie Aselton	...	Pretty Girl (as Kathryn Aselton)
Jamie Donnelly	...	Pastor
Tim Guinee	...	Roger
Charlie Brewer	...	Stranger at Reception
Steve Zissis	...	Rusty
Newell Alexander	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Steve Alterman	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Mitch Carter	...	Additional Voice (voice)

Storyline

With John's social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcé finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life - her son. Still single seven years after the breakup of his marriage, John has all but given up on romance. But at the urging of his ex-wife and best friend Jamie, John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim at a party. To his and everyone else's surprise, he actually manages to meet someone: the gorgeous and spirited Molly. Their chemistry is immediate. The relationship takes off quickly but Molly is oddly reluctant to take the relationship beyond John's house. Perplexed, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly's life: her son, Cyrus. A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom's best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. ...

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Plot Keywords:

roughhousing | compact disc | missing shoe | shoe | record | 

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Taglines:

John met the woman of his dreams. Then he met her son ...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jonah Hill based his performance as Cyrus on Benjy Bronk.

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Goofs

In the scene where Cyrus argues with his mom and then storms out of the house and peers back in through the window, he goes from obviously clean-shaven while inside the house to obviously scruffy when outside the house.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jamie: [from outside of house] John! John! John!

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Connections

References Coraline (2009)

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Soundtracks

My Love
Written and Performed by Charlie Wadhams
Courtesy of Elgin Park Recordings

User Reviews

I Hope the Film's Marketing Doesn't Make People Hate It

The marketing for this movie is terribly misleading. It sells it as a zany comedy, which could not be farther from the truth. I'm not criticizing the film -- I thought it was quite good. But people are going to see this expecting something very different from what they get, and they're going to hold it unfairly against the film.

"Cyrus" is being billed as the first mainstream effort by mumblecore darling filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass ("Baghead"). But "Cyrus" is only mainstream in that it's released by a major studio (Fox Searchlight) and has recognizable actors in it (John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener). In subject and style, it imports many of the characteristics of traditional mumblecore -- offbeat humor, improvised feel, bare bones production values -- wholesale.

Which again is not a criticism. I've been impressed with some of the mumblecore entries I've seen recently, like the aforementioned "Baghead" and "Humpday." "Cyrus" is a complex exploration of an odd and at times uncomfortable set up, and that it doesn't take a glib or condescending attitude toward its characters or devolve into potty jokes and slapstick couldn't make it less mainstream.

Reilly plays a lonely man looking for love and finding it in Marisa Tomei. Unfortunately, with her he also finds Cyrus, her twenty-something and morbidly dependent son. He tries to be a buddy at first, until it's clear that Cyrus isn't all that he appears and doesn't want a new guy around. The two men declare war on one another until fists fly, both figuratively and literally.

"Cyrus" is a small miracle of tone. It keeps its audience constantly guessing as to which direction it's going to go. The weird mother/son relationship depicted is at first just funny, then funny in a kind of squirmy way, then flat out disturbing. But the film knows exactly when it's about to push credibility too far, and just before it does, it lets us in on more information that makes everything plausible. One of the things I responded to most is the respect with which the actors and writers treat these characters. These people are not put on display for us to mock, or feel superior to, or pity. These are people who are trying their best to navigate tricky emotional terrain in the best way they know how, and the actors playing them all give lovely performances.

A smart, witty and thoughtful film in a season of cinematic junk food.

Grade: A

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Duplass Brothers Project

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$181,716, 20 June 2010

Gross USA:

$7,468,936

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,933,873

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Dune Entertainment III, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1