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Dancing_P [ 8.0 ]
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I was never much of a fan of the whole mumblecore genre in its earlier incarnations; while I did think the Duplass brothers' Baghead was decently entertaining (if entirely forgettable), I don't find much emotional appeal in a bunch of Williamsburg hipsters milling around talking about bullshit while you only see their feet or their reflection in the window of a deli. I like the style and the naturalistic approach but the content has always been negligible to me, which is why I'm glad to see the brothers graduate to the big leagues. Cyrus comes with a cast and concept that bring to mind less than subtle studio comedies, complete with (probable) fart jokes and slapstick chase scenes. I'm pleased to say that Cyrus goes nowhere near that kind of material; it's every bit as beautifully awkward, uncomfortable and realistic as it should be.
John (John C. Reilly) is a lonely film editor whose only friends seem to be his ex-wife (Catherine Keener) and her soon-to-be husband (Matt Walsh). He sits at home in slovenly bachelorhood, practically giving up on life, when he agrees to go with them to a party. He tries to talk to people but no one really responds to his... uh, openness until Molly (Marisa Tomei) compliments him on his penis while he's taking a leak in the bushes. She likes him, much to his surprise, and the two begin a courtship that always ends with her going home. He follows her home one day and discovers why: she still live with her 21-year-old son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill), an overgrown manchild who considers his mother his best friend and doesn't work or go to school to 'concentrate on his music career'. Cyrus doesn't take too well to his mother's first boyfriend in 21 years; he begins an intimidation game in order to flush John out of his mom's life.
It's unfair (although totally natural) to judge a film's merits based on what you expected them to be; when I say that Cyrus is great because it's nothing like it could've been, I mean that it has a sensitivity, realism and humor that few directors could've gleaned from the concept. And really, it wouldn't take much to turn Cyrus into a Step Brothers II: crank up the volume, show someone's balls, add a Rob Riggle and an Ed Helms here and there... The Duplass brothers have such total faith in their actors and the script that their mise-en-scène seems very minimal. While Reilly does an unsurprisingly great job, it's Hill that really shines in a role that proves to be quite a departure from his usual well-intentioned-but-manic schtick. His portrayal of Cyrus is quasi-brilliant in the way that Hill never lets Cyrus become a target of ridicule. He keeps a humanity to the character that adds unpredictable pathos to a potential caricature. It's a recurrent theme in the film: the thin line between pathetic and hilarious without ever resorting to the black-hearted cynicism of a Todd Solondz. With Cyrus, the Duplass brothers have actually made two potentially unpalatable subgenres into one of the best films of the year. Who knew?
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chapter11 [ 7.0 ]
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It didn't gel for me like it did a lot of others, but there are some absolutely riveting performances here, Hill's chief among them; it's a lot more uncomfortable than i anticipated it being, but it's a pretty potent little curio for what it is.
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Corto [ 7.5 ]
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An abslolutely actor/actress driven movie: all the four leads (John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei and Catherine Keener) are great. Sweet, lovely little film, if predictable and slightly repetative.
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DokBrowne [ 8.0 ]
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Like a subtler "Rushmore" - well, subtler in the actual events of the plot. Instead of elaborate revenge, the two enemies here engage in nearly imperceptible acts of emotional manipulation. And by using a directly honest approach to the scenario, dealing logically and sensibly with each conflict and always grounding people's actions (and hence the story progression) in their personalities rather than contriving situations in order to advance a random plot, the moments of hilarity and tenderness land with much more force and naturalism. In fact, the best thing about the movie may be how much it makes you love John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei without trying to portray them as exceptional in any way. Just a pair of good souls trying to make it work. The movie is a sublime pleasure comically and dramatically. (also Jonah Hill is deceptively terrific in what might be his first real attempt at half-way serious acting, his disconcerting wide-eyed stares communicating more than they seem to at first)
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.1 |
| No. Ratings | : 4 | |
| No. Reviews | : 4 | |
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