Probabilities

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2012)

The prospect of contracting a terrible disease like cancer is something one rarely associates with young people. Which is the basis of a different look at Adam, a rising star in radio. To his surprise, Adam receives the news from a doctor who shows no empathy at all for telling his patient the seriousness of his condition.
Adam, who has been living with Rachael, is afraid of her reaction. He need not worry about it because she is the kind who promises she will stay by him, then goes on to cheat on Adam. His best friend, Kyle, is another story, he really cares about Adam and what he will be facing down the road. Kyle sticks to Adam throughout, as a real friend would do, no questions asks.
To complicate things, Adam's own mother, Diane, has a full plate taking care of her husband Richard, suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Adam finds a sympathetic person in the person of Katherine, a therapist working with him in dealing with his cancer. The two form a bond that will sustain him throughout the worst moments he must face.
A well meant film directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Will Reiser's whose experience battling the disease is the basis of the fine screenplay he created. The filmmakers did a credible work in presenting a story that feels plausible. They present the story the way Mr. Reiser probably experienced it himself. Being a survivor, his friendship with the actor Seth Rogen plays well in the finished product.
No one could have asked for anyone better than Joseph Gordon-Levitt to play Adam. This actor always delivers in whatever vehicle he decides to get involved with. Seth Rogen makes a good Kyle, without going overboard. Anna Kendrick has some fine moments in the film as Katherine, the therapist. Bryce Dallas Howard is seen as Rachael and a fine Anjelica Huston plays Adam's mother.