Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek) isn’t the first comedic actor to try his hand at drama. In fact, the best usually give it a shot, including Steve Martin (Shopgirl), Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Adam Sandler (Reign over Me, Punch-drunk Love), Mike Myers (54), and Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls).
While I don’t expect him to follow-up this title role in a rendition of Hamlet, Hill is fully convincing as the sheltered adult son Cyrus, making for a well paced and enjoyable film.
John (John C. Reilly) gets an uncomfortable feeling that he’s the victim of a prank when he can’t find his sneakers at his new girlfriend Molly’s (Marisa Tomei) house. Certain of where he left them, Molly’s 22-year-old son, Cyrus (Hill), assures him that he hasn’t seen the shoes. This is the beginning of mistrust, awkward situation comedy, and love triangle that forms between a middle-aged divorcee, a grown fatherless son, and an overprotective mother.
Neatly divided into three distinct acts, the plot moves from slapstick comedy, to dark comedy, and then finally evolving into a warm, slice-of-life drama. Each actor ultimately succeeds in drawing in emotional investment, making you eager to see the film’s resolution.
Reilly’s character is overly pathetic and too goofy to even take seriously in the opening act’s courtship. At times his nasally speech makes one think of Barney, Homer’s drinking buddy from the Simpson’s. As if a painfully awkward rendition of Revenge of the Nerds, it’s completely unbelievable that the likeable and attractive Tomei would fall for his character.
Yet when the second act begins, revealing Molly’s socially awkward son, Cyrus, it then begins to make sense why she would find Reilly’s flawed character so endearing.
While certainly the movie’s main tension is between Reilly and Hill for the affection of Tomei’s Molly, she is truly the heart and glue of the film. Totally believable as a woman of such circumstances, Tomei really draws you in to her situation. This is evidenced at the film’s conclusion, where a mere look and shake of her head communicates volumes about her emotions and character growth.
While I went into the theater expecting a crass comedy, as the film’s marketing seems to suggest, it was pleasantly quite the opposite.
[etRating value=“ 3.5”]
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