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| It's...Complicated... In a creepy, weird way... |
Cyrus…oh what can one say about
Cyrus? It was well made if that counts for anything, and the actors did a good job. Other than that nothing stands out as particularly special.
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| Think of this, but weirder. |
Actor John C. Reilly plays John who similarly is not particularly special. John is just an average joe, a lovable oaf, “Shrek” as he describes himself. Ex-wife Jamie, who is still on friendly terms with John, visits one day and invites him to attend a big party in Los Angeles. After a performing a lot of poor karaoke, getting hopelessly drunk and miserably failing to flirt with various single girls, John eventually runs into Molly. Surprisingly, this is a lovely and kind woman who seems to have a thing for the odd, misunderstood type (foreshadowing intended). Logically, the two strike up a romance. Looking forward to getting his life back on track, John is excited to spend more and more of his time with Molly. The only problem is she seems to disappear every evening. Cue Cyrus. Cyrus is in his twenties and literally living in mother’s basement. Needless to say, he has some serious mommy issues. The pair spend all of their time together, and Cyrus often doesn’t know how much is too much in terms of their mother-son relationship. For instance, he has no qualms about walking into a bathroom where Molly is taking a shower. John, much like the audience, is very creeped out when he discovers more about Cyrus’ strange behavior. Gradually, a rivalry between John and Cyrus ensues. Drama and weird, dark comedy ensue as John, Molly, and Cyrus change up the traditional love triangle by replacing another suitor for the woman with that woman’s son. Originality should be praised here.
The directing and writing team behind
Cyrus, Jay and Mark Duplass, have managed to construct a fiction which was genuinely unpredictable. Kudos to the Duplass’s as well for avoiding the melodramatic, over the top style that is so often used, and that could’ve ruined their work, had it been used here. That being said,
Cyrus did not manage to be truly captivating. There is not much to critique about the film, but it’s not quite deserving of the incredible amount of praise that is has received as of late.
Official YAMB Grade: Neutral
Nate S Grade:
Aesthetics: B+
Plot: A-
Characters: A-
Acting: A-
Overall Grade: B+
“You Sack of Wine!”
-Nate S
