A Pleasant Surprise from 2011

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2012)

What a surprise! I expected a silly movie - didn't think it would be one of the better movies I've seen recently.
The movie has a fantastic balance between drama and comedy, between being funny to being really sad. And it handles extremely well the subject of cancer without getting too clichéd.
The entire cast is fantastic: Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves again that he's a great actor and still takes risks in choosing interesting roles; Anjelica Huston proves that she's still a fantastic actress; Seth Rogen, although not very different than his usual type-casted role, is actually pretty good; And Anna Kendrick is amazingly cute. Bryce Dallas Howard and especially Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall are all great in their supporting roles.
With solid direction and good script, this movie is one of the better movies I've seen from 2011. I laughed and even cried more than once.