Brilliant movie. A story that will make you reconsider things. Amazing performances !

Rating: 9/10 (8 July 2012)

The movie came as a surprise me in every aspect. I picked it up by chance and well, I love chance.
The movie is doubtlessly exquisite. It's somehow surprising to find a Comedy dealing with cancer without expressing some kind of disrespect to the sick people or banalising its graveness, but this movie does it almost perfectly. The movie is generally light and uplifting, with a fair amount of well-reckoned giggles, but at the same time very true and wistful at times, giving justice to anyone who had a real experience with cancer.
The story of the film feels believable and real, basically because it's based on the real experience of the scenarist. All of the characters are really human and none of them is disposable or superficial.
The strength of the movie stems from two sources : 1. The positive tone of the story : Although the movie is supposed to be sad and dark (A twenty-something getting an expectable cancer .. how sadder can it get ?), it turns out that the storyline takes a wholly different direction of events, turning the shock to a chance to live, and betrayal to a recovery experience. Simply put, the unexpectable positiveness of the story makes it absolutely worth watching. 2. Whilst the full cast is amazingly well chosen, the ever-close-to-perfection performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt took the spotlight, by far. The true, warm and hearty acting of the main man is THE secret ingredient of the success of this movie. Joe didn't only act out the character but embodied it in a way rarely seen nowadays. It even made me go back and watch other movies of his, and I wasn't disappointed, this man has it : Sheer talent, growing from one role to another, and blooming nice and clear in this portrayal. I was really angry when the freaking Academy didn't give him an Oscar nomination (it's not the first time Oscars disappoint me, but it felt more personal this once). Arguably, no other actor could've delivered this role the way Joseph Gordon-Levitt nailed it, thus I guess watching his pure talent overflowing in many iconic scenes is a reason by itself to watch the movie.
The bottom line ? If you want to see a story that will bring Hope and Joy back to your life, if you are going through any kind of hardships and you want a breeze of happiness, if you have or had someone who had cancer, or if you simply want a great story played by amazing actors, go fetch 50/50, and watch it, NOW.