I just saw John C. Reilly on “The Tonight Show” telling Jay Leno about his trip to Australia, and his father, and ios new movie “Cyrus”- hysterical, and not really a surprise. John traveled with us to Iceland to premiere the Robert Altman film, “A Prairie Home Companion” in 2006., and I can tell you John is a great traveler, areal renaissance man, eager to fully experience everything that comes his way. I played the stage manager, “Al”, in the film and so I had a front row seat to see John jam with Woody Harrelson and the band in between takes, and learn to twirl a lariat, not just one but two. John can play menacing, vulnerable, you name it he can do it.
His talent is now on display in the new movie “Cyrus”. He plays a hangdog divorcee who at the urging of his ex, played by Catherine Keener, finds new love with Molly, Marissa Tomei’s character, who is a single mom to the overly possessive Cyrus, played to perfection by Jonah Hill. Complications ensue as Cyrus tries to sabotage the fledgling relationship. Jonah Hill is terrific as he tones down the “Superbad” vibe and gives us a nuanced performance that leaves us guessing, is this kid dangerous or just confused. The film is directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, and reportedly involved a great deal of improvised dialog, which John C Reilly and the rest of the cast knocked out of the park.
“Cyrus” is a great summertime diversion from the onslaught of CGI extravaganzas.
GPA 3.5
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