Autumn Views...

Cyrus- 2 stars **

The decision to see this film was pretty spur of the moment, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World wasn't yet playing and the previous night I'd seen part of the advert for Cyrus and it looked good enough. I had no idea about the storyline, but I knew that John C Reilly and Jonah Hill were both in it, and having enjoyed previous films that they had performed in (notably Superbad and Stepbrothers), I thought I'd give it a go.

The plot was pretty basic, John (Reilly) is a single guy with little luck in the romance department. After hearing that his ex-wife is getting remarried, he reluctantly goes to a party with the couple in the hope of meeting someone. He happens to meet Molly, an attractive middle-aged woman who seems to tick all the boxes. That is until John learns that she has a twenty-one year old son (Hill), with whom she shares a very unique relationship.

I think that this film was good, but not amazing. The plot seemed more like a by-line to a main story rather than a standalone one, as there wasn't much action, and the ending was very abrupt! Even though marketed as a comedy, I don't think it is quite there; there were quite a few funny bits (not the usual slapstick or wordplay as would be expected of these actors) but it wasn't a laugh-a-minute affair. I thought it was a little self-indulgent, as it seems to be Jonah Hill's 'proving I can do a serious role' film similar to the catastrophe that was Funny People for Seth Rogan and Adam Sandler.

There were good aspects to this film though. The acting was of a high standard, and the emotions displayed were raw and convincing. Despite it being a scenario that not many people would be able to relate to, you could understand why certain characters were reacting as they did and empathise with the situation. The on-screen chemistry between the main trio was evident in all of the scenes that they were in together, and the mother/ son relationship was flawlessly executed. Marisa Tomei who plays Molly is definately one to watch in the future, you may have seen her previously in Wild Hogs and The Wrestler, both of which were commendable performances; and her costumes for Cyrus were awesome!

Not one that I would rush out to buy on DVD, but if it's on Film4 at some point, I'd give it another watch.