Seth Rogen Makes a Passable Dramedy Unwatchable

Rating: 6/10 (28 November 2011)

This will not be an unbiased review. Part of my dislike of this movie is based on what I consider to have been deceptive advertising. The commercials on TV sold this movie as something of an oxymoronic comedy: a dark subject, such as the protagonist having a potentially terminal form of cancer, would be tempered with low-brow comedy and witty humor. In the ultimate form of bait-and-switch, I got a depressing drama about a young man's struggle with a potentially terminal form of cancer, inter spliced with inappropriate "humor" courtesy of Seth Rogen.
How a movie makes one feel is irrelevant to its quality, but the fact I was expecting a dark comedy and got a tearjerker left me feeling empty and depressed.
I will say that Gordon-Levitt's role as the protagonist was decent. He didn't turn in a performance that was Oscar-worthy, but he was subtle, understated, and calm, which made the character very believable. He doesn't overact or react bizarrely. He is rather meek and mild-mannered, which allows the audience to empathize with the character, His acting is the best part of this movie.
To be candid, most of the actors do a superb job. The actress who played the therapist, the protagonist's mother, and the girlfriend are excellent. They're completely human, and a credit to the talent pool in Hollywood today.
...Then there's Seth Rogen, who seems completely out of place in this otherwise mild- mannered, understated drama. First of all: does this guy have to play the same damned character in every movie: a pudgy foul-mouthed, lazy, pushy, womanizing stoner who only lives for casual sex and weed? Rogen is not funny in this role. I don't know why he is always typecast in this role, as he isn't very good at it. His constant cursing and carousing bored me. He seemed more obnoxious than charming as the protagonist's friend. In short, Seth Rogen drags this movie down. He should really call his agent about getting roles other than as slackers: being cast as the voice of a Praying Mantis *is* a good start though.
I recommend this movie to people who enjoy decent dramas. The acting is well done. Sadly, I wasn't in the mood for a depressing dramedy tonight, so I didn't walk out of the movie feeling high---unlike Seth Rogen's character in almost every movie he's in, who's always high.