Is Cyrus a timeless classic that deserves a 10 rating? Does it rank among the movie classics? Not really. But is there anything it could have done better --- acting, writing or production-wise? Not really.
The Duplass brothers have taken a very intimate, honest, personal story and really tailored a very nice little film around it --- one that accentuates without intruding upon its many strengths.
Chief among these is the acting by the four principles. The movie is, in particular, suited to the inherently likable qualities of John Reilly. It's (again) a role in which you find yourself wondering if he's really just playing himself, but consign yourself to admitting in the end that he's really *that* good. He imbues his character John's reactions with just the right blend of pathos and humor --- it's a tightrope he's particularly suited to walking as an actor and one that he makes look deceptively simple.
Jonah Hill is very well cast here too. Always a master of the impeccably timed sarcastic aside, you never know if he's playing it straight or crooked and that's custom-tailored for the titular role. This, however, is the first movie where I've really seen him ACTING without seeming to do a stand-up routine on the sly. He's actually strongest when he's silent --- his face is a painfully vivid relief map of rage, cunning, shock, agony, and confusion as John gets too close to his first true love in ages, who also happens to be Cyrus' mother (Tomei).
The negative comments I have heard I just couldn't register about this film: Tomei and Keener were not wasted and actually turned in some of the meatier, rawer performance I've seen from them lately. The film has also gotten dinged for it's digital photography and hand-held style, when this is the exact type of movie that is best suited to this medium: an intimate, personal, almost docu-style outing.
Because the acting is so strong and the subject matter so familiar to most people, Cyrus doesn't seem canned or forced in any way. It is more drama than comedy, but if all dramas were half this well-made and authentic, we'd be in very good shape.
The Duplass brothers have taken a very intimate, honest, personal story and really tailored a very nice little film around it --- one that accentuates without intruding upon its many strengths.
Chief among these is the acting by the four principles. The movie is, in particular, suited to the inherently likable qualities of John Reilly. It's (again) a role in which you find yourself wondering if he's really just playing himself, but consign yourself to admitting in the end that he's really *that* good. He imbues his character John's reactions with just the right blend of pathos and humor --- it's a tightrope he's particularly suited to walking as an actor and one that he makes look deceptively simple.
Jonah Hill is very well cast here too. Always a master of the impeccably timed sarcastic aside, you never know if he's playing it straight or crooked and that's custom-tailored for the titular role. This, however, is the first movie where I've really seen him ACTING without seeming to do a stand-up routine on the sly. He's actually strongest when he's silent --- his face is a painfully vivid relief map of rage, cunning, shock, agony, and confusion as John gets too close to his first true love in ages, who also happens to be Cyrus' mother (Tomei).
The negative comments I have heard I just couldn't register about this film: Tomei and Keener were not wasted and actually turned in some of the meatier, rawer performance I've seen from them lately. The film has also gotten dinged for it's digital photography and hand-held style, when this is the exact type of movie that is best suited to this medium: an intimate, personal, almost docu-style outing.
Because the acting is so strong and the subject matter so familiar to most people, Cyrus doesn't seem canned or forced in any way. It is more drama than comedy, but if all dramas were half this well-made and authentic, we'd be in very good shape.