First Hit: Disturbing, insightful, funny and well-acted film which surprised me.
I’m not a Jonah Hill fan; however as Cyrus he is dead-on perfect. He plays a character who is disturbed, overly protected by his mother Molly (played by Marisa Tomei), intelligent, and very shielding of his relationship with his mother.
However, the film is really a vehicle for John C. Reilly to display both his comedic and dramatic talents. John (played by Reilly) is lost after his divorce 7 years ago. His ex-wife Jamie (played by Catherine Keener) is getting married but spends a lot of time trying to get John better adjusted because he is floundering. She makes him go to a party where he makes some funny and very awkward attempts to make conversation with some of the guests.
Then he meets Molly who sees him and accepts him immediately. They spend the evening together and eventually he meets her son Cyrus who pretends to like him, but really is plotting to get him out of the house. There is nothing hidden from the audience but it doesn’t matter the characters are strong enough to make it work.
Reilly is very good as the lonely guy who thinks of himself as Shrek with no hope of meeting someone as amazing as Molly. He is able to show a multitude of feelings and expressions without it being forced. He is natural in this role. Tomei is wonderful. Seeing her in a role reminded me about how good she is and why I like seeing her in films. Hill, as I stated before, is very good in this role and embodies Cyrus, a boy/man who is lost but talented and intelligent.
Overall: I liked this film and thought that writers and directors Mark and Jay Duplass created a wonderful, thoughtful and insightful film.