50/50

50/50

Directed by: Jonathan Levine

Written by: Will Reiser

Plot:

A Dramedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

Review:

It’s hard to imagine a cancer comedy working well in a non-offensive way, but surprisingly 50/50 beat those odds. It was a film that made you laugh but then made you want to cry. It made you think about your life. It made you think how lucky those of us that do not have cancer are. I think the majority of people in this world know somebody that has battled cancer or is battling cancer and the fact that 50/50 is a film that dealt with this subject, successfully, is really something.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the lead in this film. He played the 27 year old Adam, who is quiet and easy going. This film takes us right into the mind of this character and his journey dealing with his cancer. We see him with a good attitude and a brave face but then see how he struggles in his everyday life. It’s hard to imagine any other actor pulling this role off. He brought so much emotion to this role but his emotion a lot of the time was cut short by none other then his supporting actor...

...Seth Rogen. Seth was extremely funny in this film. I thought it was one of his better roles in a while. He plays Adam’s best friend in the film, who is always supportive and establishes a pity-free relationship with him and make shim feel comfortable. As funny as Seth Rogen was I think he was too funny. I didn’t think this film should have been as funny as it was. I thought the humor in the film took a little away from the emotion and the intensity of the film. 

There was one thing that really bothered me about this film and that is the love interest of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, played by Anna Kendrick. Anna Kendrick is a very talented actress who plays his therapist as well as his love interest but the fact that the love interest is his therapist is a little ridiculous. Half of their interactions in the film go against the therapist/patient code of ethics. It felt very forced and would have worked better if the love interest came from somewhere else or their was no love interest. Does a cancer story really need to be held up with a love arc? Anyway I would have loved to see more intense therapy sessions to get deeper into the mind of Levitt’s character.

Overall a very solid movie. Great performances all around and I do commend the director and writer on doing such a great job at keeping the film tasteful. I wish the best to all of you that have or know somebody that is currently fighting cancer.

Rating: 7.5/10
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