Cyrus

It's been seven years since his divorce, yet middle-aged John (John C. Reilly) is still suffering from loneliness and lack of self-esteem. Urged by his ex-wife/best friend (Catherine Keener), John reluctantly agrees to join her and her fiancé (Matt Walsh) at a party, where he meets high-spirited, compassionate Molly (Marisa Tomei). Romance blooms, but John is disturbed by Molly's constant refusal to stay with him until morning, so he follows her home late one night and discovers that she's living with her 21 year-old son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill), whom she's infantilized and home-schooled, allowing him to shirk all responsibility to focus on his New Age music. John tries to be understanding and befriend Cyrus, who is pathologically protective of his relationship with his mother, but passive-aggressive subterfuges ensue, as John does his best to create a “family” while duplicitous Cyrus seems equally determined not to cooperate. In this weirdly dark, slow-paced comedy, sibling filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass delve superficially into Oedipal relationships, setting up some ominous rivalry situations, only to retreat in a third-act letdown. Still, this often engaging and emotionally edgy film is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include two deleted scenes with optional introductions by filmmakers Jay and Mark Duplass (11 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a Q&A with the Duplasses (8 min.), Fox Movie Channel “In Character” segments with costars John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill (8 min. total), a “Music Mash-Up” featurette with Reilly and Hill (4 min.), and a “Behind-the-Scenes at SXSW” featurette (4 min.). Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven film.] (S. Granger)