a potentially disastrous idea turns out to be both hilarious and poignant

Rating: 9/10 (19 October 2011)

50/50 is being advertised as a "comedy about cancer," which hardly sounds like a good idea for a movie, especially one that's advertised as "from the creators of Superbad". Cancer is obviously a very delicate subject, and there was as much risk that 50/50 could become too goofy and insensitive for its own good as there was for it to become too melodramatic and manipulative. I'm glad to say that the film is surprisingly poignant, realistic, and funny. For every crude joke, there are enough interesting character dynamics and real human emotions in this to make it a solid, thoroughly enjoyable and heart-wrenching film.
That fine balance between comedy and drama can partly be attributed to Will Reiser, who wrote the story and script based on his own experiences with cancer. The script manages to find enough humor in Adam's situation, mostly thanks to his friend Kyle's attempts at cheering him up (such as using his cancer to pick up girls). However, the story also makes sure to deal with the serious issues around the disease too, such as how Adam handles his situation and the various ill-effects of cancer treatment, as well as how his diagnosis effects his relationships with his overbearing mother, and his girlfriend.
While the script itself does a good job of bringing in humor to an fairly dramatic story, it's the actors who really bring out the emotions of those affected by Adam's disease. The supporting characters are all well cast. I have to admit that I'm not really a huge fan of Seth Rogen's usual raunchy style of humor, so I tended to get annoyed by a lot of his lines. However, he plays Kyle with the right amount of charm, and it works, for the most part. If you are a fan of his, I can't imagine you'd be too disappointed by his usual R-rated jokes. Plus, I heard that Kyle was actually based off of the real Seth Rogen, who is a friend of screenwriter Will Reiser, so who better to cast? Other strong supporting cast members include Anjelica Huston as Adam's over protective mother, who brings out just the right amount of sympathy for her character. Anna Kendrick also stars as Katherine, Adam's inexperienced therapist, and works well as the earnest, somewhat bumbling, young doctor.
The best part of the movie though, is quite easily Joseph Gordon Levitt as Adam. Levitt was perfectly cast in this role, and a lot of what I said about the film "not getting melodramatic" can be credited to his understated performance. He does a wonderful job of showing us what Adam is going through, from the initial shock, to his early optimism, and finally his succumbing to the fear that he really has no hope of survival. Watching Adam's journey, you really feel like you're getting to know him as a person, and understand what he's going through, which makes the climax all the more emotional. I can't imagine anyone reaching this scene without their heart racing, or even shedding a few tears.
Sometimes I get too caught up in reviews and such to notice how movies are actually doing at the box office. Considering the great critical reception for this film, I was surprised to see that it hasn't been all that popular at the box office. While the topic may sound like a strange one for a comedy, 50/50 works well, thanks to its well balanced script and a great cast, topped off by an award-worthy performance from Joseph Gordon Levitt. If you've been going back and forth on whether you should see this in theaters, or have been ignoring it because it might make you feel sad, I say go see it! It might make you cry, but you won't leave feeling sad. If anything, you'll leave the theater feeling uplifted by the story.