There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be loved, it’s only natural after all. The problem is when you decide who it is exactly you want to be loved by; if it’s your mum, then you’re in all shades of trouble. But for some, the cutting of apron strings is just like having the umbilical cord chopped off all over again.

Somehow seven years have flown by and John (John C. Reilly) has still yet to have another relationship since he got divorced. Just to rub it in, his wife Jamie (Catherine Keener) tells him that she’s about to get married again.

Feeling sorry for him, she drags him to a party; despite some initial bravado, it’s clear that John has lost his touch with women – if he had that much of a touch in the first place.

That said, one woman actually finds him endearing. And before you know it, John finds himself hitting it off with the lovely Molly (Marisa Tomei).

It’s like a dream come true for John. Initially at least. As the relationship progresses though, he becomes aware that Molly has a secret; one that comes in the rotund shape of her living-at-home, 22 year-old son Cyrus (Jonah Hill).

Even though Cyrus appears to be as nice as the proverbial pie to his face, it doesn’t take John long to work out that Cyrus has a hidden agenda, and that three is most definitely a crowd.

Without knowing exactly how it does it, Cyrus can have you in the palm of its hand within its first ten minutes. If it doesn’t, then it’s simply not for you. But it’s difficult not to succumb to the oddball charms of John C. Reilly’s John. You can understand why women aren’t queuing up around his block for him; but at the same time, you can also appreciate why Molly falls for him.

Although sold as being a LOLcom, it’s far more subtle than that. The brothers Duplass (Mark & Jay) have a directing style more in common with Wes Anderson than the Farrelly bros. That’s not to say that there aren’t opportunities for belly laughs, but they appear to be satisfied in keeping things curiously understated, which as it turns out, was the best way to go as far as this feature is concerned.

This approach is no surprise considering as the pair have been associated with a peculiar cinematic movement known as Mumblecore (ultra-low budgets, improv, amateur casts, relationship-driven stories); which their 2005 film The Puffy Chair is a fine example of. This film is like the next step on from that, a bit like a Finest Tesco meal: it’s still pretty much the same recipe, but all the ingredients are just that little bit more premium.

Where it scores the biggest points is in its triumvirate of performances. Reilly isn’t exactly your archetypal leading man, but proves that you don’t necessarily have to have a face like Tom Cruise’s to woo the ladies (although we all know it helps, unless you’re Nicole Kidman). He gives a heartfelt turn that always keeps you on his side.

In truth, we really don’t get enough of Marisa Tomei. The fact that she looks exactly as she did ten years ago only confirms that she must have been cryogenically preserved for all that time. She does defrost well though. She also manages to inject just the right amount of confused emotion into Molly.

Kudos goes to Hill however. He’s been the go-to-guy in Hollywood for quick-wittedness in a film for some years now. He’s proven time and again to be sharp and funny with acerbic one-liners. Here though, he shows a whole heap of restraint in his portrayal of Cyrus. It would have been so easy to push him into the realms of farce and really go for laughs. And yet he pulls back, more often than not, so as to not only not steal scenes, but give his character a little more depth.

Despite not being the outrageous comedy that the marketing team would want you to believe it to be, Cyrus has a bit more heart and soul than that. Ultimately, it’s a story about the inability to let go of something, be it a past with someone else, or a parent. It treads on delicate ground on occasion – no one wants to see a grown man and his mother embrace for too long, after all – but delivers something that comes very close to being a bit of a heart-warmer, which is no bad thing.

But if you do happen to be in your twenties and still living at home, watching this with your parents could prove pretty painful. And if that is indeed the case, then let this film be a warning to you.