The Duplass brothers have been tiptoeing their way towards the throne in an effort to be the kings of low-budget independent film. Whether or not they achieve such status could very well lie in the success of their latest drama-injected comedy “Cyrus.”

The idea of two men battling for the sole attention of a leading lady has been present in story lines throughout hollywood’s rich history. Combine that with a mama’s boy scenario and you’ve got yourself a completely unoriginal story. That seems to not matter in “Cyrus,” complete with an amazing realism due to the handheld camerawork, we are proven wrong as it creates the impression that it is very much original.

In an awkward party scene that will have you squirming yet smiling in your seat, John (John C. Reilly) downs a few drinks and with a nudge from his ex-wife and best friend Jamie (Catherine Keener), begins mingling with the females. It doesn’t take John long to give up and crawl back into his hole of denial, but while relieving himself in the bushes, things finally start to look up when a woman named Molly (Marissa Tomei) entertains his presence for more than 30 seconds.

Although the relationship is instantaneous, it still manages to appear believable — aside from the obvious difference in attractiveness. With every relationship comes with speed bumps, but with this relationship comes Molly’s 21-year-old man child Cyrus (Jonah Hill), a whale of a bump that could prove fatal to their rapidly blossoming life together.

Last time John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill worked together, it was on the set of the gimmicky comedy “Walk Hard.” While watching “Cyrus,” try to shut that out of your mind and allow yourself to understand the seriousness behind this film. Although the filmmakers do their best to keep it as lighthearted as possible, sappy yet effective romantic voiceovers and a few intense scenes with Reilly and Hill prove that “Cyrus” hits a little harder than you’d think.

While Marissa Tomei is charming and easy on the eyes, her character seems to hold very little stock in this film. She plays a very big role but her dialogue leaves her as a sort of living, breathing prop for her co-stars to feed off of.

During an interview Reilly stated that while the Duplass brothers were immensely proud of their script, they wanted the actors to forget memorizing the dialogue and use it as a sort of guideline to help them improvise. This is clearly evident and adds a natural vulnerability to the actors’ portrayals of their characters that is seldom seen in film. This also allows Hill, whom is new to any kind of dramatic acting, to surprisingly flourish as the troubled mama’s boy who is willing to go to great lengths to keep his mother to himself. Reilly has dabbled in all genres so the genuine and comedic performance he put forth was exactly what we would expect from a veteran like him.

The Duplass brothers started as nobodies and as they kept shouting their name louder and louder with each film, we slowly began hearing it. Personally I’m not a fan of their previous film, 2008’s surprise hit “Baghead,” but I am very pleased with their current effort. You wouldn’t think it after watching the trailer, but “Cyrus” truly turns out to be an excellent character study of two lowly and lonely men.

The Duplass brothers were tiptoeing their way towards the throne of low budget independent film and, without most of the country knowing it, have crowned themselves as the kings. “Cyrus” is this summer’s mindful comedy that will achieve much more success than expected, and the Duplass brothers’ pitch-perfect directing and the adventuresome acting is to thank for it.