Common Sense Media Review
By S. Jhoanna Robledo
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Indie romcom swaps raunchiness for quirkiness.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Cyrus
What's the Story?
John's (John C. Reilly) ex-wife (Catherine Keener) just announced that she's getting remarried. The news serves as a wake-up call: He can no longer lament the rut he's in without attempting to leave it. How perfect, then, that he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) at a party. She shares his vulnerably wacky sensibility, and they hit it off famously ... but there's another man in her life: her 21-year-old son, the eponymous Cyrus (Jonah Hill), who's none too pleased to be sharing the woman who once lived only for him. Let the games begin.
Is It Any Good?
CYRUS will never be mistaken for a typical romantic comedy. Awkward, surprising, and, yes, funny, it swerves when you expect it to stall, slows when you think it will gain speed, and turns dark when you expect it to lighten. And the filmmakers take a gimmick-free approach that wisely avoids the swelling, manipulative soundtrack and cutesy setups of more conventional romcoms.
Reilly and Tomei make an unusual, compelling couple; John and Molly are at ease with their limitations and eager to try for happily ever after, and i's refreshing to see a movie pairing that's not all gloss and no substance. And as the son who just can't let go of Mom, Hill is a joy, particularly when he goes face to face -- literally -- with Reilly in witty verbal skirmishes. All of that said, it's hard not to wonder what would have happened had the filmmakers given into the crazy, unleashing both the unruly Hill we've known and loved in movies like Superbad and the feral Reilly that simmers under his gentle surface. The result might have been more typical, but it might also have been more, well, fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Molly's relationship with Cyrus. Does it seem realistic? How do you think it got to the point it is in the movie?
Who do you think this movie is intended to appeal to? Hill's teenage fans? People who enjoy indie comedies?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 18, 2010
- On DVD or streaming : December 14, 2010
- Cast : John C. Reilly , Jonah Hill , Marisa Tomei
- Directors : Jay Duplass , Mark Duplass
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Fox Searchlight
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some sexual material and language
- Last updated : July 15, 2022
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