"Cyrus" Movie Trailer Review

By our guest blogger, Josh Harris

The film “Cyrus” is the first major picture directed by brothers Mark and Jay Duplass. The story focuses on a recently divorced man named John (played by John C. Reilly) who, after finding out that his ex-wife is on the road to getting re-married, feels desperate to find someone himself. Enter Molly, a caring and lovely woman played by Marisa Tomei, who sees John's drunken ramblings at a party as “really honest” and is drawn to his good-guy charm. John falls for Molly very quickly, but inevitably there's a hitch, and in this case it's Molly's 21 year-old son Cyrus.

Played by Jonah Hill, Cyrus is an underdeveloped man who is still living at home and who has an oddly close relationship with his mother--something we see in the trailer when he goes to use the bathroom while she is in the shower. Due to this closeness, a rivalry develops between John and Cyrus as they both bid to be higher in Molly's affections.

This trailer shows a movie that seems both touching and comedic along the lines of something like “Juno.” Mirroring “Juno,” this movie also is about a real-life demographic that is becoming more prominent in America. Instead of featuring a romance between two young people that leads to marriage and a “happily-ever-after,” this story is about post-marriage romance between two older people and some (or one) of the problems that can come up.

I don't think there are any scenes in this trailer that are laugh-out-loud funny, but the scenario itself has a lot of potential, and the cast has a great track record. Known for his more buffoonish roles from “Talladega Nights,” “Walk Hard” and “Step Brothers,” John C. Reilly portrays a much more serious character in this movie. This isn't to say that John doesn't come off as a bumbling idiot from time-to-time, as evidenced from his behavior at the party in the opening of the trailer and likely the film, but he is also a much deeper character that is yearning for something from life, not just being dumb for the sake of getting cheap laughs.

Jonah Hill also is playing a part in Cyrus that is much different from his typical sarcastic, smart-ass roles, most notably that of Seth in “Superbad.” He comes off as rather creepy in the way that he looks very deadpan, almost emotionless most of the time, and particularly in the shot where he is standing in a doorway with a kitchen knife and simply utters the words, “Hi, John.”

They dynamic of the pretend-innocent son who is trying to subvert his mother's suitor is not one that hasn't been seen before, but this cast, particularly Reilly and Hill, look as if they will breathe new life into it. While it doesn't bring the sort of laugh-out-loud ridiculous feeling I had after seeing the “Superbad” trailer, it does show a touching film that will be worth a viewing.


View the trailer for "Cyrus" below. What are your thoughts?