As a pickup line, it's among the best ever.
John is at a party. He meets Molly. Shortly thereafter, he's in the back yard when he feels a call of nature and ducks into the bushes. Apparently not deeply enough.
Molly walks by. "Nice penis," she says, and keeps on walking. And that's how John (John C. Reilly) and Molly (Marisa Tomei) begin a relationship.
But a comedy with sex swiftly adds another dimension when Jonah Hill, the title character of "Cyrus," enters the action. He's Molly's son, in his early 20s, acts a little slow but knows he's riding a gravy train and is not about to give up his compartment for a space in the baggage car. Hill, who has done some sloppy teen-age movies, is terrific in a serious role. His smooth, round, somewhat puffy face takes on frightening angles as he challenges John.
Jay and Mark Duplass doubled as writers and directors, and much of the direction holds interest strongly, if only because the flat, bright California sunshine hides evil so well. As writers, however, they don't give us much to work with. We get no back story, except that both John and Molly have been married; his former wife is played by Catherine Keener, who seems in every movie these days where a wise, mature woman is needed. Tomei is very good, too, liking for John, loving her son but a little confused by his conduct. Reilly, a fine actor, plays hapless better than most, and when he is confronted by Cyrus, he's at a loss, smart enough to know he'll lose to son in a struggle over Mom, not smart enough to handle it well. The situation is made clear when Cyrus walks into the bathroom, knowing Molly is in the shower, ignoring John's protestation and immediately displaying his power.
Cyrus is an fascinating character, well-written by the Duplasses, well-acted by Hill. A shadow hangs over him, and he uses it like a bullfighter's cape, disturbing and confusing his enemy, protecting himself.
"Cyrus" opens today at the Tivoli
–Joe