In today’s world where divorces take place as often as TV news anchors change faces, it’s not uncommon for a man or woman to have difficulty getting back into another serious relationship. That’s the premise for writer-directors Jay and Mark Duplass’ new comedy Cyrus. In case you’re wondering about the title, it’s the name of a young boy.

John (John C. Reilly) and his ex Jamie (Catherine Keener) have been divorced for seven years. While Jamie is upbeat, even engaged, she still worries about John. He’s stuck in a rut, never finding a suitable date, mostly because he has the personality – and the looks as well – of a hibernating bear. Jamie insists that John accompany her and her fiancé Tim (Matt Walsh) to a party.

John goes kicking and screaming -- and for the most part gets rejected from one conversation after another. It’s when he decides to relieve himself in a bush that a perky face greets him. Molly (Marisa Tomei) strikes up a conversation with John, and throughout the evening they connect. She spends the night at his house but leaves abruptly in the morning. They continue to sleep together but Molly doesn’t offer much more, even when John insists she tell him why she can’t hang around.

Suspicion creeps in, so one day John follows Molly home. He begins to sneak around her house peeking in windows until he’s met by a stout young man who invites him in. John finds out this is Cyrus, Molly’s grown, but slightly odd son.

John moves in with Molly and Cyrus hoping to change their atypical relationship. Cyrus pretends to like John, but behind his mother’s back, he’s sabotaging John’s every move. When John tries to make Molly see this, she says it’s his panic attacks, which he knows are fake. Making Molly admit this could jeopardize their own relationship and will take careful maneuvering. And sure enough, one wrong move and everything John had hoped for blows up in his face.

The Duplass brothers are known for their innovative improvisational techniques. Their funny and moving third film Puffy Chair, about relationships, won the Audience Award at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival. They like the ambiguity of relationships, and that’s the theme in Cyrus – a story that seeks truth in its characters’ relationships.

The story is quirky, and an occasional scene dips into creepy territory, but overall the film works well. Credit goes to the talented cast and the way the Duplass brothers work. Let’s face it, Reilly almost always looks like a sad-sack, but he can act! Nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Chicago (2002), he nails every character in his films. In Cyrus it’s plain to see a broken man who’s given up until one day a lollipop is dangled in front of him, and he’s determined to fight tooth and nail to keep it.

“Reilly’s performance as a middle-aged man grabbing at what may be his last chance for happiness is touching and honest,” Mark Duplass said. “Every time you turn the camera on John C. Reilly, he does something inspired and totally rooted in truth.”

As Molly, Tomei wonderfully blurs that line of truth. It’s hard to tell if she really understands  Cyrus is part phony, or if deep down she knows the truth. This makes her character interesting and uncertain at the same time.

“The film is about two guys competing for one woman and it would be very easy for the woman to be marginalized,” Jay Duplass said. “We knew from the get-go that Marisa would fight for the character and own it with strength and intelligence and creativity.”

Jonah Hill rounds out the third force in the film as Cyrus. Even though it’s quickly apparent he’s not what he seems to be, every time he appears about to change his ways, he plays the role with such purity, the audience isn’t sure what to think.

 “Cyrus is a lot different from the characters I’ve played in other movies,” Hill said. “He’s very manipulative and smart, but emotionally disturbed, which you can see in how threatened he is by his mother’s new relationship.”

All of the actors were intrigued by the way the brothers implement improv into their filmmaking. “The directors let themselves be in suspense by handing it over to the actors, and the actors let ourselves be in suspense by saying ultimately we’re not crafting this, they are,” Tomei said. “So there was a lot of we don’t know what’s happening, which led to surprises. It was a great experience for me.”

Although there’s nothing profound about Cyrus, it’s a good movie to see because of its fresh style of filmmaking and its keen interest in examining relationships as well as its humor and great cast.

(Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures and rated “R” for language and some sexual material.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.