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"CYRUS" (2010) (John C. Reilly, Maria Tomei) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Minor Heavy Minor Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None Mild Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Minor Heavy Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Dramedy: A manipulative young man tries to stymie his mom's relationship with the new man in her life. PLOT: John (JOHN C. REILLY) is a freelance editor who still hasn't gotten over his divorce from Jamie (CATHERINE KEENER) seven years ago. While they're good friends, the fact that she's about to marry Tim (MATT WALSH) has pushed him deeper into isolation. Accordingly, Jamie drags him along to a party where things start to look up when he meets Molly (MARISA TOMEI) who likes his honesty about himself. After they end up sleeping together, John is smitten, nearly to the point of stalking her. It's then that he discovers she's the single mom to Cyrus (JONAH HILL). He's a 21-year-old aspiring musician who still lives at home and has an oddly close relationship with his mom, but initially seems accepting of her relationship with John. As the days pass, however, John soon believes that Cyrus is manipulating his mom in hopes of eventually driving a wedge between her and him, something that doesn't sit well with John. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast, it doesn't seem too likely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language and some sexual material. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JOHN C. REILLY plays a freelance editor who's depressed, lonely and borderline desperate, apparently still not over his divorce from Jamie seven years ago (they're still good friends). That changes when he meets Molly at a party and ends up sleeping with her. He's instantly smitten to the point of essentially stalking her, although she doesn't mind and the two start dating. But John must contend with her 21-year-old son who still lives at home, the young man's somewhat peculiar relationship with his mother, and then his attempts to sabotage the budding relationship. He uses strong profanity and drinks (once to the point of intoxication). MARISA TOMEI plays a single mom he meets at a party who's instantly drawn to and thus sleeps with him. She's close to Cyrus, her 21-year-old son who still lives at home, and doesn't seem to realize he's manipulating her in various ways. She must then contend with John becoming increasingly irritated by that, and she uses brief strong profanity and drinks some. JONAH HILL plays her son, a smart but ultra manipulative and often intense young man who still lives at home and doesn't want to share his mom with John. He does everything in his power to stymie their relationship, including lying to his mom and even physically attacking John. He uses strong profanity and drinks some. CATHERINE KEENER plays John's ex-wife and still good friend who's concerned about his depression and then his obsession with Molly and trying to figure out Cyrus. She drinks some. MATT WALSH plays her patient fiancé who must put up with her giving John so much time as they plan for their upcoming wedding. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated dramedy. Profanity consists of at least 23 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue (some of it explicit) is present, some fooling around is seen, and off-screen sex occurs, while a man is partially seen masturbating (with partial nudity -- bare butt). There's a brief fight (played for comedy), while one scene might briefly be unsettling. Bad attitudes are present, as is tense family material and thematic elements, while drinking occurs with some drunkenness. Potentially imitative behavior also occurs. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, all sorts of handheld camera movement and quick zoom in and zoom out shots occur throughout the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE John holds a beer at a party, followed by Tim handing him a Red Bull and vodka. Tim tells John to drink it and get "lit," so John guzzles it, asks the bartender for another (while a woman asks for red wine), and when a woman blows him off, he states that "plan B" is to get more drunk. We then see him intoxicated, carrying a beer (and he ends up urinating outside in the bushes). We see John buying wine, and then he and Molly have some with dinner. John, Molly and Cyrus have wine with dinner. Molly and John have wine. Tim holds a beer. People have champagne at a wedding reception, including Cyrus who guzzles his, while others have wine and such. Moments later, Cyrus confronts John in a public restroom and John asks Cyrus if he's drunk and how he got drunk so fast. BLOOD/GORE While intoxicated at a party, John goes into the bushes and urinates (we hear the sound). Molly then surprises him by stating "Nice penis" and he spins around (we don't see his penis), with her then joking she was going to pee there in the bushes, but that he beat her to it. When Cyrus tells John the latter messed up big time with him, John sarcastically wonders what Cyrus is going to do, such as put a pile of "sh*t" on his steps. We see John standing at a urinal and hear him urinating, but don't see anything. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE John follows Molly home (unbeknownst to her) when she leaves in the middle of the night and won't explain why. He does so by driving behind her, with his headlights turned off. Throughout the film, Cyrus tries to undermine John's relationship with Molly. John's shoes go missing in Molly's house, and he later learns that Cyrus took them (and lied about knowing anything about that). Cyrus lies to John about Molly, saying that when she starts to lose romantic interest in someone, she overcompensates sexually. He then lies to Molly that John said things between them (John and Molly) were moving too quickly. The antagonistic relationship between John and Cyrus becomes more contentious as the story progresses, with the two getting mean toward each other. That includes John threatening Cyrus that if the latter disrupts Jamie's wedding, he (John) will knock him out. They end up getting into a fight there. FRIGHTENING SCENES John goes looking for Molly in her house after she doesn't return to bed, and finds Cyrus standing in the kitchen, in just a shirt and socks (no nudity seen). He's holding a large kitchen knife, has a serious look on his face, and tells John to come to him (but he's just making sandwiches). GUNS/WEAPONS John goes looking for Molly in her house after she doesn't return to bed, and finds Cyrus standing in the kitchen, in just a shirt and socks (no nudity seen). He's holding a large kitchen knife, has a serious look on his face, and tells John to come to him (but he's just making sandwiches). IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Seriously, don't f*ck my mom," "I want to get f*cked," "What the f*ck are you doing with all your sh*t in my room?" "You just f*cked yourself" (nonsexual), "I am so f*cked," "Calm the f*ck down," "Leave us the f*ck alone," "I f*cking hate him too," "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "You f*cked it up," "I'm a f*cked up person," "You did some f*cked-up stuff," "Bullsh*t," "After the sh*t you just pulled," "Sh*tty," "Nice penis," "You're a sex angel," "You scared the hell out of me," "Chicks," "I am Shrek," "You little weirdo" and "Live with that, you asshole." John follows Molly home (unbeknownst to her) when she leaves in the middle of the night and won't explain why. He does so by driving behind her, with his headlights turned off. Cyrus tries his hardest to drive John out of his home, employing various tactics in that attempt. Cyrus mouths "f*ck you" to John, and then gives him "the finger" while hugging Molly (she doesn't see either gesture). Cyrus holds up one sign that reads "You're" and another that reads "Going" so that John can see them, but Molly can't. A miscellaneous man has tattoos on his arms. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) When he doesn't answer the door, Jamie lets herself into John's place where a rap song is heard repeating the lyrics "She got what I need" and "She got what I like." PROFANITY At least 23 "f" words (2 used sexually, 1 mouthed silently), 8 "s" words, 2 asses (both used with "hole"), 1 hell, 3 uses of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "God" and "My God." SEX/NUDITY When he doesn't answer the door, Jamie lets herself into John's place where a rap song is heard repeating the lyrics "She got what I need" and "She got what I like." She then goes looking for him, opens the door, and finds him masturbating on the bed. He's lying on his side facing away from her (we see his bare butt), wearing headphones and with a laptop computer in front of him. He's surprised and embarrassed by that, gets up, pulls his pants up, and tells her he was scratching himself as he has jock itch. While intoxicated at a party, John goes into the bushes and urinates (we hear the sound). Molly then surprises him by stating "Nice penis" and he spins around (we don't see his penis), with her then joking she was going to pee there in the bushes, but that he beat her to it. We see a head and shoulders shot of Molly on top of John right after they've finished having sex and are out of breath. He comments that she's a sex angel. The next day, we see him comparison shopping for condoms (holding two boxes at the store). We see John shirtless while doing sit-ups. We see John and Molly doing some passionate kissing. Sex is implied as we see her then leaving in the middle of the night after getting dressed while he's in bed shirtless (his lower half is beneath the covers). Cyrus asks John if he's staying overnight, and John leaves that up to Molly. Cyrus then states, "Seriously, don't f*ck my mom," but then adds that he's joking. John comes clean and says that he and Molly did have sex, and Cyrus seems fine with that. John looks at an old photo of Molly breastfeeding Cyrus when he was much younger (but older than a baby). Her bare breast is partially seen. Cyrus walks into the bathroom where Molly is showering (seen from the outside room -- no nudity), surprising John who's in that other room. Molly then walks out wrapped in just a towel. John and Molly start kissing in her bed (clothed), but a scream from Cyrus in his bedroom interrupts them. Cyrus lies to John about Molly, saying that when she starts to lose romantic interest in someone, she overcompensates sexually. John spoons behind Molly in bed (both are clothed and nothing sexual occurs). We see several views, during a montage, of John and Molly briefly kissing. Molly shows a little cleavage. Molly and John return home at night. She removes her outer top (still leaving a shirt on) and climbs onto John on the sofa, playfully telling him, "I want to get f*cked." Just then, Cyrus (who was sitting in the dark watching), speaks up, scaring and interrupting them. As John enters a room, the camera is briefly focused tight at his crotch level height, thus showing a close-up view of the front of his underwear briefs (he's also wearing a t-shirt). Molly shows some cleavage in a dress. SMOKING We see some smoke wafting up in the foreground of a shot outdoors at a party, but didn't actually see anyone smoking. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that John and Jamie have been divorced for seven years and that she's now getting married to Tim. Cyrus states that his dad is not in the picture (in his and Molly's lives). Molly is concerned when Cyrus doesn't return all day, and then again when he states he's found a place to rent and is moving out. Molly and Cyrus have a heart-to-heart talk about their situation. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT John states that he's lonely, depressed and borderline desperate. John still not being over his divorce seven years ago. Adult children who still live at home. The unique mother/adult son relationship between Molly and Cyrus. Molly states that Cyrus suffers from night terrors and panic attacks. VIOLENCE Cyrus confronts John in a public restroom and then rushes at and attacks him. We next see the two struggling outside and then falling onto a table that collapses as they hit the ground (played for laughs). Reviewed May 26, 2010 / Posted June 25, 2010

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