A first class cast of non-first-line actors

Rating: Null/10 (5 December 2011)

Let's get to the cast right away.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt drew applauses in abundance with "(500) Days of Summer" and was further recognized with the main support role in the ensemble cast of "Inception". In "50/50" he delivers a good range of various reactions of a not-quite-thirty young man Adam to the irreconcilable fate of being the victim of a rare spinal cancer which has a 50/50 chance of recovery (and therefore a 50/50 chance of dying). With easy disposition and low-key adorability, he has the audience with him in no time at all. Equally endearing is Anna Kendrick. Not quite standing out as Jessica in the "Twilight" series, she proved herself in "Up in the air" which earned her nominations for both Oscar and Golden Globe. In "50/50" she is the green horn therapist Katherine given the charge of Adam. Not too experienced but determinedly professional, she tries her best to overcome the patient's normal resistance until something clicks between. Endearing in a very different sort of way is one the audience knows well, Seth Rogen, as Kyle, Adam's buddy since high school behind whose coarse persona is as true a friend as you can ever get.
There are more. Playing Adam's mother is inimitable Anjelica Huston, memorable in so many roles. While "50/50" doesn't pose a particularly challenge to her, she has brought to her character an extra touch of humanity. At one time M. Night Shyamalan's eerie lady, Bryce Dallas Howard showed her versatility in "Hereafter" in a small but impressive role. In "50/50" she has an unenviable role as Adam's deserting girlfriend Rachael. This could have been a one-dimensional character but for her thoughtful portrayal. Among a group of Adam's fellow chemo-treatment patients is one played by veteran Philip Baker Hall with a sparkling performance.
All the plot elements are familiar: battling a deadly disease, devoted buddies, good-intentioned dominating mother, breaking-up opening room for finding true love. It's the way these elements are put together that set a movie apart, which can be in either direction. This one is well put together, with good balance and alternation between comedy and poignancy. Also to its particular credit are its flashes of insight. The one most memorable line is from observant Katherine to Adam about his mother Diane, something to the effects that she has a husband who can't talk to her (because of Alzheimer) and a son who wouldn't talk to her, an angle which Adam never saw before. There is also a quick-witted moment when in the hospital waiting room where Diane and Kyle first meet Katherine. Upon realizing that she is his therapist, there is immediate and synchronized reaction – he claiming that he is not really an asshole and she explaining that she had always pressured him only for his own good. It's the superb acting of Rogen and Houston that nailed this scene, pitch-perfect.