Human walrus* Jonah Hill takes maximum credit and the eponymous role in this low-key almost-comedy that has the watered-down blood of a disturbing psychological thriller somewhere in its lineage. John C. Riley’s lonely divorcee John meets Molly (Marissa Tomei) at a party and they quickly fall in love. This hits a roadblock when John meets Cyrus (Hill), her live-in 20-something son whose contradictorily passive yet confrontational approach to socialising and unnerving closeness to his mother puts a wedge between them. John eventually discovers that Cyrus is actively working to break the pair up, and so fights back.
There aren’t really jokes in this film, and since Riley has said in interviews that 80 per cent of the dialogue was improvised it’s no surprise to detect a palpable lack of improbably witty one-liners which might otherwise define a mainstream US comedy movie. I liked Cyrus for this change of pace, but it’s easy to see how some might be disappointed by this film simply because it is not the Appatowian comedy which the trailer suggests. There’re no pratfalls or dick jokes here. Just a mumbly, meandering realism that twists the film in a slightly unexpected direction. Riley’s character became the bad guy for me by the final act, with Cyrus acting as the unexpected victim, suffering as a result of a resurgence in John’s masculine instinct for dominance.
I mentioned that Hill is the best part about this film, and I think it’s hard not to agree. He proves that while he can do the foul-mouthed stoner comedy of Superbad or Get Him to the Greek with his eyes closed, he’s actually capable of much more psychological depth and subtlety as he plays this social stunted loner who is always on the verge of turning this movie into a slasher flick.
Cyrus is always one degree away from being very good, but it fails to make the final push into the pastures of greatness. Instead it wallows in being merely above average, and while it’s not going to push all the buttons for Hill’s fans, it definitely raises his profile.
*If you think that’s a slur against him, check out this video
