50/50 is a touching and entertaining comedy-drama.

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2012)

In 50/50 Joseph Gordon-Levitt manages to make a seemingly ordinary character into someone quite special. Gordon-Levitt was always a reliable actor but in 50/50 he delivers a performance worthy of much praise and even worthy of that glossy corporate Oscar. The film is a comedy-drama about Adam Lerner, a young man who finds out that he has cancer. The witty script was written by Will Reiser and inspired by Reiser's own experience with cancer. The film also stars Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer. Rogen, pretty much playing himself, delivers another of the film's excellent performances as Adam's sex-obsessed but reliable best friend Kyle Hirons. Then there's the adorable Kendrick as Adam's inexperienced therapist Katherine McKay. Honestly, the more I see Kendrick the more I like her. She's certainly a good screen presence and she tackles her roles differently, making each one stand out. It's no wonder that Jason Reitman picked her for the role of Natalie Keener in Up In The Air (2009) after seeing her impressive performance in Rocket Science (2007). 50/50 is reminiscent of the great 1983 hit Terms Of Endearment. One can even say that it's in the same league as that film. The moment when Adam embraces his mother before being taken to the operating room is poignant. Gordon-Levitt doesn't overplay it. It's this approach which makes his performance special. He certainly tried to distinguish himself after his role in 3rd Rock From The Sun, acting in films by directors like Rian Johnson, Christopher Nolan and Gregg Araki. In conclusion, 50/50 is a good and entertaining film with a wonderful cast. It's certainly worth seeing.