2010 MISSES: "CYRUS"

Now this was a comedy I was actually looking forward to. I like the cast and the premise seemed like it could at least provide some laughs. I could tell from the trailer it wouldn't be a ridiculous comedy like the films Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly usually act in, but if it was able to have decent dramatic moments, I would still be down. Sadly, it fails on all fronts. I did not laugh, I did not smile, the sadness of the main character did not move me, and the quirky moments did not amuse me. What we have here is your typical Hollywood style indie movie that is subtle, to the point of pointlessness. To put it simply, I was bored.

The film has a simple, yet potentially exciting premise. A middle aged loser falls for a beautiful woman, but the only problem is she has the worst son in the world. Their relationship is strange, but not in any way that provides laughs, just awkward moments. Eventually our main character gets into a war with Tomei's son and she is forced to choose between her son and the man she has fallen for. This is one of those films you see that wins independent film awards, but aren't really sure what those awards mean. Is it one of the best independent films of the year? Are critics just giving out awards left and right? What does it mean to specifically win this award? I really don't know, but I didn't think this film deserved any praise. If anything, it was a huge disappointment. I'm not the most forgiving when it comes to comedy, but usually I am able to point out some good in a slew of bad concepts and ideas. This film did not have a bad concept. It did not have bad actors. It was not poorly made. The package just wasn't put together in any sort of interesting way.

*1 and 1/2 Lance Approvals*