'Cyrus'

'Cyrus' (R) (3 1/2 stars)

Writers and Directors: Mark and Jay Duplass
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, Catherine Keener, Matt Walsh, Tim Guinee

"Cyrus" is one of my favorite kind of comedies and I completely loved it! I haven't laughed this loud and this long at a comedy in ages. I usually smile or chuckle to myself when I find something funny but when I laugh out loud in a theatre it is very rare. "Cyrus" is also a very deep and unsettling movie that is easily one of the best written movies of the year. The makers of the movie, the Duplass brothers usually specialize in what they call "mumblecore" movies and I find that style annoying. A few years back they made a movie called "Baghead" that was supposed to be a horror spoof and I found it to be pretentious and obnoxious. This time they have great actors and a more polished and mature screenplay. John C. Reilly is one of our best actors and he is amazing here as John. John has been divorced from his wife, played by my sweetheart Catherine Keener, for seven years. He goes to a party with his ex wife so he can find a girl. John meets Molly who is played by Marisa Tomei. Marissa Tomei is very good here and I swear she gets more beautiful as she ages. Molly has a 21 year old son Cyrus played by Jonah Hill. John and Molly get closer and even talk about him moving in with her. What transpires between the three is very awkward for all especially when the son still stays at home. John and Molly start to get closer and John finds out that Cyrus seems to appear a little mentally off balance. The first half hour of this movie is very smart, funny and endearing. Then the movie gets a little deeper and blacker and some interesting issues are brought up. John thinks Cyrus is trying to break him and Molly up in very sneaky and evil ways. The movie in the last half hour gets twisted and returns to being even more hilarious.

This is not a mean spirited comedy just made to provide cheap laughs. This is actually a very deep movie that delves into relationships and love. John C. Reilly is outstanding here and he is one of our finest under the radar actors. He delivers a line in here that is a funny line but the way he says it I couldn't stop laughing well after the movie was over on just that one line. It is the biggest laugh out of any comedy this year. Jonah Hill is becoming a very likable and dependable actor. He is very good here playing the most difficult character to grasp. Reilly and Hill should be remembered at award time but they won't so they will get Snavely award nominations. The two have great chemistry together and have a great give and take. Marissa Tomei is also very good here playing a sweet but sometimes clueless woman. This is a very black comedy that sneaks in some dramatic tension which makes it a special comedy in my opinion. I loved it, want to see it once again for the acting and then once again for the dialogue and delivery of it. This is a beautiful, strange, dark and hilarious movie that even contains some pain but in a funny way. It is easily one of the best movies of the year!