Well-done

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 2011)

50/50 was not what I expected it to be. It's not a great film, but it definitely wasn't cloying with sentimentality very much. In fact, there is music, but many times the film's most dramatic moments play out without music, and they also ring true. I do have to say, the film did a great job of balancing the humor and the more serious drama. I wasn't sure how it would do it, but it did it very well. It is not a comedy before a drama, but it isn't a drama first either. Both aspects are handled equal to each other, and sorry for the pun, 50/50.
The screenplay is pretty well written, and there are a lot of great scenes in this. The cast only helps it. Bryce Dallas Howard is here yet again playing another unlikable bitch, but I mean she does it very well. But thing is, you want to like her, but ultimately she lets you down. Basically how Levitt felt. Anna Kendrick was sweet, and she captured her character well, despite being similar to her in Up in the Air. Seth Rogen started off annoying me, but I mean, he rises above with a good script (as was evident in Observe and Report). He also becomes very likable. The main reason to see this is for Levitt. This is definitely his best performance so far. In the film most serious scenes, he is fantastic, and he is the one swaying your your emotions.
Overall, a very good film, and an example of how to make something memorable from this subject matter and still appeal to the mainstream.