This Ain't Your Mother's Jonah Hill

Finally Lehigh Valley - you got with the program and are showing Cyrus! I waited four LONG weeks. I mean seriously, Marmaduke's cute and all, but can we get some real films in our theaters? Ok, enough bitching. So I finally saw Cyrus and I have to say, it was worth the wait.

Cyrus starts as an intelligent, very well acted comedy. Let me just say John C. Reilly is delightful. He plays that vulnerable, kind of pathetic but completely lovable character almost too well (think Chicago and The Good Girl, forget Talledaga Nights). He's lonely and just the right amount of desperate. It appears his only friend is his ex-wife and she is about to get remarried. Just when life could not get any worse, in comes Marisa Tomei as Molly. For whatever reason, she falls for the poor schlep. But surprisingly, this strange couple works really well.

Although their relationship moves a bit fast for my taste (but then again, they do only have 92 minutes), all is well in the world of John and Molly. Then - dun, dun, dun....John finds out Molly has a son. And not just a son, an adult son who still lives at home. I have to say I was so happy to see Jonah Hill in a role like this. I mean, I do find him funny, but this made him 3-dimensional for me.

So, as you can tell from the trailer, there is conflict between John and Cyrus. Each one is vying for the attention of Molly. But what the trailer doesn't show are all the emotions wrapped around this story. It's clear Cyrus was raised by Molly only and sadly, she is the only person in his life. Despite the fact that he is in his 20s, mom is all he has. At first the exchanges between John and Cyrus are uber funny (yes, I just used the word "uber"). And you may think, "Woh, this mom and son are a little too close". But then you feel truly sorry for Cyrus. Here he is, used to having his one and only friend available anytime throughout his entire life. Then all of a sudden here comes this threatening force. Of course he's going to act out. As I watched the film, I found my heart breaking for these people. Cyrus is losing the only person he has, John finally fell in love again, but with too many complications and Molly is stuck choosing between the two. Life is rough.

I commend Jonah Hill for bringing Cyrus's fear and vulnerability to the surface. And John C. Reilly delivers as usual, with his brutal honesty and his "what you see is what you get" persona.

So, is it three's company or three's a crowd? I strongly suggest turning off that horrible reality TV show, getting in your car, getting some good old artery clogging, buttery popcorn and losing yourself in a truly awesome film!