A perfect forging of comedy and drama

Rating: Null/10 (7 November 2011)

This is a touching and heart-felt movie which left me thinking "why did I like that so much?" because of its simplicity.
It is best to go into this film cold, without any knowledge of story or outcome. In fact, the title of the film reflects one of the key plot elements later in the film, which could only work by creating the perfect balance of drama and comedy that 50/50 manages to do with great aplomb.
Seth Rogen plays the lightest version of his weed-smoking down-to-earth character that seems to appear in every thing he does. This is not a criticism. If you like Seth Rogen then you'll probably like this film.
I found myself unexpectedly welling up at times. The scenes between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick's characters are amongst the best in the film, merging a nice balance of realistic dialogue and sharp screen-writing.
And if the end leaves you feeling a little deflated, keep in mind that it is based on actual events that happened to the scriptwriter. Mostly likely though, you'll come out of this film feeling lifted and grateful.