A beautiful and very emotional tale about cancer

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2012)

Both of my grandparents were diagnosed with cancer within the last 15 years, but thankfully they pulled through. Even with those experiences of a relative who had cancer, I realize that this is a very touchy subject.
Plot: Loosely based on screenwriter Will Reiser's experiences, Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a 27 year old public radio journalist who lives with his girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) and one day out of the blue discovers he has a rare type of cancer and that he has a 50% chance of beating the cancer. With the help of his friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), his mother (Anjelica Huston) and his therapist Dr. Katherine McKay (Anna Kendrick), he struggles to beat the disease and learns what the most important things are in his life.
The performances in this movie are so spot on: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character is so likable and there's one scene in particular when he got such an emotional response out of me. His performance in this film made him in one of my favorite actors ever. Seth Rogen is usually hit and miss for me, but this is best performance I've seen him give because he had me laughing my butt off so many times in this one. I love the way he catches Rachel cheating on Adam, and that made me say "This guy is awesome!" I remember seeing Anna Kendrick in "Twilight", "New Moon" and "Eclipse" and I was so annoyed by her in those films, but her performance in this film made me regret any bad thing/thought I said/had about her. Anjelica Huston as Adam's mother while overbearing, she portrays the character is such a loving way. And finally, Bryce Dallas Howard. I like her as an actress, and I think she did really good in her role, but her character was such a bitch! This film and "The Help" made me fell sorry for her because people keep casting her as a bad person. Whatever you do in your next film Bryce, please give somebody flowers! Special note: Phillp Baker Hall has a small role here, and he's really good in this one. Believe it or not, screenwriter Will Reiser makes a small appearance in the movie. Watch the scene where Adam's coworkers are trying to comfort him, Reiser is the one who says "My uncle had what you had."
The tone of this film feels realistic in terms of the kind of house Adam lives in, the dialogue between the characters, and the way the film handles the subject of cancer feels very light-hearted even though it does get emotional at times. Every time I watch this film, it reminds me of how great life is and that you have to appreciate the good that's in your life especially in your darkest time. There's really not much else I can say about this one. Great acting, great story and this is another reminder that we are still capable of making great movies.