A comedy, that isn't really a comedy

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2016)

50/50 is about Adam. Adam is a normal guy who doesn't drink, nor smokes, but when he gets diagnosed with cancer his life turns upside down. In this movie we see how he handles this situation.
I want to start this review of by saying that the directing of the movie was very good. This was his third time directing a feature film. And this was also his best feature film. It was well directed, and done by Jonathan Levine, a man who I had never heard before, but now I want to watch other movies that are directed by him. The cinematography of 50/50 was pretty to. There wasn't a single shot that I thought could have been done better. This was done by Terry Stacey. 50/50 is by far his best movie. If you want to compare, he is also known for the cinematography "Dear John", and "PS I love you". So you will see why I say this. But that is all I really have to say about this part in my review, the best parts mostly lay in the acting, and writing, so let's go over to that bit.
First, the acting. This was very good. The characters felt real, and acted like real people. The main character of 50/50 is Adam, the one who get's cancer. He has a 50 percent chance of surviving with his type of cancer, thats why the movie is called that way. Adam was played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I have disliked him for quiet a bit, but since I have seen more of his movies (Inception, Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, etc.) I have started to like him more, and started seeing him as a good actor. And in this movie he has proved that thing again. He was very convincing, and looked like a real person. His love interest, and girlfriend is Rachael. She was played by Bryce Dallas Howard. She was good too. But the one that surprised me the most is Seth Rogen. I think that he is most of the time annoying in a movie. But he surprised me very much, because I liked him in 50/50. His character was also funny. How he reacts in the art gallery really fits his character, and if you have seen the movie, you will know what I mean. What also proves the great acting of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, is when Adam shaves of his hair. This was all improvised, and I didn't know that until I read the trivia on IMDb. They stayed in character very well. But let's move on to the next character/actress. She was my favorite one, because I could relate to her character. This was Katherine, played by Anna Kendrick. Katherine is a very messy person, not only physically, but also kind of mentally. She is not to good with other people, but it suits her, and makes her character someone cute. Kendrick did a amazing job at portraying this character. But these are the actors that I wanted to discus. Now I will move on to the script and writing.
In this paragraph I want to start of with this thing: The script was amazing. 50/50 is not your ordinary comedy. It makes you laugh at times, but also cry. I wouldn't actually call this a comedy. Yes, It has funny bits in it, and yes, the contrast between Adam and Kyle (Seth Rogen) was funny, but there were more sad scenes than funny ones. The scene in which Adam starts to drive in Kyles car, and stops, where after he starts crying and screaming, isn't funny at all. This was very good character development, though, but still. There are more moments like these in the movie than moments where they burn down a painting, or the scene from Kyle in the art gallery. Like I have said in my third paragraph, the characters are great. They feel like real people, people you could meet on the street. What I also liked is the chemistry between Adam and Kyle, but also Adam and Katherine. In the movie you can see the relationship develop. From Adam being annoyed by Katherine, to loving her. And the chemistry between Adam and Kyle was good too. As I have said, this is a funny bit, but also shows the friendship between them. The dialogue is good too, nothing really outstanding, but it was good.
That is all I have to say about 50/50. I think that this movie is very good, and that it is impressive that they have made a good comedy- drama from a dark subject.