A cancer film that's actually fifty percent drama and fifty percent comedy!

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 2011)

'50/50': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
A cancer film that's actually fifty percent drama and fifty percent comedy. The film deals with the very serious subject matter of a 27 year old who is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, which he has about a fifty percent chance of beating. The movie takes a very honest and brutal look at his struggles to fight the illness as well as taking a lighter look at his best friend's attempts to help him overcome depression through positive thinking and having fun. The best friend is played by Seth Rogen and the movie is in fact based on one of his best friend's, a writing buddy named Will Reiser (who wrote the script), and his actual experiences overcoming cancer. Seth Rogen basically plays himself in the film and Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the Reiser character. The film is directed by Jonathan Levine and Levine does an outstanding job of balancing the depressing drama with light hearted comedy. Something really special results from it.
The movie does a very impressive job of balancing several different elements and angles to it's story. The biggest of which is the buddy story involving the two leads (Adam and Kyle). Rogen (Kyle) really shines here by showing how important it is to have a good friend like him in a time like that. There's also a bitter relationship story involving Adam and his self centered morally deprived girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). Howard shows how important it is to make sure you have a good romantic companion by your side not like her character in a time like that. There's a blooming relationship story between Adam and a possible romantic interest he finds in his psychologist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick). Kendrick plays her usual type of role here and continues to do an adequate job with it. She of course shows the importance of the possibilities of real love. There's also the friendships Adam forms with other cancer patients at the hospital with him, specifically Mitch (Matt Frewer) and Alan (Philip Baker Hall), which shows how important it is to have people close that know (and can relate to) what you're going through. And there's the relationship Adam has with his overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston) and Alzheimer's stricken father (Serge Houde). They of course show the importance of family. All of these elements and performances are well played out but it's Gordon-Levitt that knocks it out of the park with his Oscar nomination worthy performance.
Like all really good movies the film has a lot to offer and there's very little to complain about. Some have shown disgust in the idea of a film that would try to take a comedic slapstick approach to such serious and dreary subject matter but there really isn't any slapstick here. The comedy depicted in the film all feels pretty real and genuine and being that it's based on the lives of the writer and actor I'd say it's probably pretty honest and heartfelt too. There's true passion in this film and I don't think anyone involved thought of it as a joke. I think the best way to deal with any of life's ugliness is to look at the good that comes with it as well. I don't think the dozens of sappy tearjerkers we've seen about cancer in the past have done an adequate job of really dealing with the subject matter. This film actually deals with it and life through all of it's ups and downs. It is an emotional roller coaster and a tearjerker as well. It definitely got to me in a couple places. I think this is the best type of cancer film and I applaud it's courage and originality.
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