I was never very fond of John C. Reilly. I thought he was the worst part of Chicago and I haven’t seen much from him in the way of acting talent or comedic ability. Then came Cyrus.

Reilly plays the lead in this movie, also named John, and he fits into the role like a hand in glove. John is an emotional and awkward shlub who’s down on his luck, especially in matters of love. I believed it instantly, because… well, just look at the guy! I hate to sound like a jerk here, but Reilly is pug-ugly and he plays hangdog perfectly. It also helps that Reilly has a total lack of ego, which helps immensely when we first meet him: John literally spills all of his emotional baggage onto a total stranger with no provocation and drunkenly sings karaoke to “Don’t You Want Me.” Sure, it’s rather ham-fisted characterization, but it gets the point across quickly and provides a few laughs in the process. It’s also worth noting that John is divorced, which adds another emotional layer to his romance arc: He knows what it’s like to fall in and out of love and that isn’t an experience he’s eager to repeat. It’s a sad but understandable sentiment, perfectly suited to gain audience empathy.

Marisa Tomei is Molly, the female lead, and it’s obvious from her (hilarious) first two words to John that she’s too good to be entirely true. Tomei is very sweet here, but I never completely understood what it was that first brought her to John. Their chemistry is surprisingly good once it finally gets going, but I just couldn’t get what sparked it. Another unfortunate problem is that Molly is defined entirely by the two male leads, though I suppose that comes with the premise. This is, after all, a story about a guy who falls in love with a woman, unknowing that she has a weird son. Fortunately, the relationship between Molly and Cyrus is a dense and peculiar riddle that’s never entirely explained. The movie always kept me guessing how much of the weirdness comes from Molly and how much is due to Cyrus, which is really a credit to Tomei, the Duplass brothers and Jonah Hill.

The latter really surprised me as the eponymous Cyrus, especially since Hill’s turn in Get Him to the Greek was still fresh in my mind. Fortunately, Cyrus is like the polar opposite of Aaron Green. Aaron was a character who had only a bare minimum of intelligence, had zero backbone and talked too much for his own good. From his introductory scene, it’s obvious that Cyrus has a surprising amount of intelligence, though it’s hidden behind a constantly straight face and a near-monotone voice. The character is full of surprises, such as that unlike most early-twenties slackers pursuing a career in music, Cyrus has a full studio of synthing equipment and he’s not half bad at using it. John is a man who openly wears his heart on his sleeve while Cyrus is a puzzle box full of riddles.

When the two finally come into conflict, it’s no contest. From the very beginning, Cyrus plays John like a Rubik’s Cube. He just toys around with John at first, but when John eventually decides to start fighting back, the results are funny as hell. Reilly and Hill play off each other perfectly, aided by sure direction and some very sharp writing. The open warfare only lasts for about fifteen minutes, but the setup helps make it worth the price of admission all its own.

Unfortunately, the movie goes slightly downhill afterwards, heading into a disappointingly predictable and formulaic third act. Still, the strength of the writing, casting and direction is enough to see this movie through.

Last but not least among the cast are Catherine Keener and Matt Walsh, playing John’s ex-wife and her new fiancee, both of whom have the patience of saints. John is a very clingy guy by his nature, so of course he still goes to his ex for all of his emotional support needs. Jamie knows this full well and still has a soft spot for him, so she deals with this as best she can. Tim, meanwhile, knows what he’s marrying and gives his fiancee’s romantic baggage (read: John) more leeway than any other man would surely grant. Keener is amazing here. With pure emotion, she makes it clear to the audience precisely why Jamie broke up with John and would never get back with him in a million years, though she still brings just enough spark left over from her old marriage. It’s a very complex balance and she manages it beautifully.

Technically, this movie is decidedly unspectacular. The camerawork, editing and music are all designed around a cinema verite aesthetic that brings a great amount of intimacy to the proceedings. In fact, “intimate” is a pretty good word for the movie.

Cyrus is nothing more or less than a purposefully mundane slice-of-life rom-com. It’s not exactly must-see material, but the cast is strong, the writing is sharp, the direction is solid, the humor is very funny and the characters are full of heart. I don’t think it’s worth spending full price on, due to the relatively weak third act, but I’m still giving it a recommendation because of how hard it is to find a romantic comedy that’s genuinely romantic and a laugh-out-loud comedy.