Short Take: A fresh take on a tested concept

Directors: Mark and Jay Duplass (Baghead)

Screenwriters: Mark and Jay Duplass (Baghead)

Cast: John C. Reilly (Step Brothers), Jonah Hill (Get Him to the Greek), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler), Catherine Keener (Where the Wild Things Are)

Length: 1h 32m

Synopsis: John (Reilly) is a divorced middle-aged man living by himself, currently hitting what he believes to be rock bottom. Through encouragement and arm twisting by his ex-wife Jamie (Keener) and her new husband John attends a party where he’ll supposedly have a golden opportunity to get back into the dating game after a 7 year hiatus. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happens. He clicks with a warm, fun-loving single mother named Molly (Tomei), whose 21 year old son Cyrus (Hill) still lives with her. Shortly after the dating begins John meets Cyrus face to face, and at first the two seem to get along swell. What John begins to realize, though, is that Cyrus is actually trying everything he can to sabotage his mother’s new relationship, and so John must try to foil Cyrus’ plans under the nose of the woman caught between them.

Analysis: In case the above synopsis didn’t give it away, the film can perhaps most accurately be described as a “dramedy,” equally incorporating both largely comedic and genuinely dramatic elements. With funny moments poking through the cracks in a sidewalk of drama that’s paved with awkward moments and extenuating circumstances, the story of Cyrus puts a twist on the generic love triangle. Instead of it being a situation where two males of comparable age fight over the same woman, or when a child tries to protect their single parent from an unfit partner, Cyrus’ efforts to fend off John work towards protecting his and Molly’s codependent relationship. Presumably, Cyrus does not have any overtly sexual feelings for his mother (although you can argue that an Oedipal complex lurks somewhere underneath his motives), but merely accepts her motherly love as a suitable substitute for romantic love from a girl his age. This acceptance helps fuel his side of their codependence, assuring that he doesn’t pursue love and approval from any outside sources.

But what about the mother? Surely Molly isn’t desperate for her son’s love in the same way he is desperate for hers; after all, would she happily date John otherwise? Molly’s willingness and readiness to date John indicates that she does not consider her son’s love as a suitable substitute for genuine romantic love. But if this is so, then what fuels her side of the mother/son codependency? The answer may be her maternal maturity. Some mothers have a hard time letting go of their role as protector, provider, and caretaker of their children, especially when they only have one child. In such cases, their role as mother does not progress to the point where they can adapt to the idea of letting go, or what some people like to call “leaving the nest.” Maternal maturity is reached when the mother considers herself and her child mutually exclusive, and it is only when Molly reaches this point that her and John’s relationship can really grow. (It is important to note that this scenario is completely dependent on Cyrus being an adult and not of an age when he would actually be dependent upon his mother. Had Cyrus been younger there would have been no motivation for Molly to reach maternal maturity, and so any choice involving her son and any man she might date would have always ended with her choosing her son.)

With these characterizations in mind it’s easier to see that one of the bigger themes of the film involves the concept of boundaries. From John’s end, social boundaries in particular seem to elude him as he follows Molly back to her house without her knowing (it sounds creepier than it is here), calls his ex-wife during the middle of the night, pees in bushes, and is possibly too open with strangers about his mental state. Likewise, Molly is shown in a photograph to be breastfeeding Cyrus while he appears to be about 7 or 8 years old. One rule of hers and Cyrus’ house is that at night the bedroom doors must remain open. And while in public, Molly and Cyrus’ interactions appear to be chummier than what might be considered appropriate (they playfully wrestle, for instance). John arguably fits into and successfully completes the triangle with Molly and Cyrus because he also does not either recognize or consciously abide by invisible boundaries established by social norms. Because it’s not entirely clear whether these characters are rebelling against or are ignorant of these boundaries we can only debate about how their openness negatively or positively affects their relationships. However, that they share this commonality may speak towards a message which asserts that being so emotionally open is only positive or negative depending on who you interact with.

Rating: 8.0