The Movie: 50/50
The Good: Jason Gordon-Levitt, a perfect mix of humor and heart given a tough subject.
The Bad: A few minor plot points get short shrift.
50/50 is one of the best films of the year, let alone one of the best comedies. It is a heartfelt look at the harsh realities of life with cancer, yet it manages to be really funny to boot. You’ll laugh and cry all at once.
Adam (Gordon-Levitt) is a 27-year-old kid working in Seattle. He leads a life that most twenty-somethings live: a live-in girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), an early career, friends to pal around with (Seth Rogen), and an overbearing mother who he would rather be free from. Adam also has something that few twenty-somethings have: cancer and a trauma therapist (Anna Kendrick). Cancer sucks at any age, but it seems especially cruel for those so young.
It’s hard to state just how finely crafted this movie is. It never gets too sappy, self-important, or self-pitiable. Instead, it seems like the story of real people dealing with a serious, life-threatening situation. The origins of this film come from a real-life cancer scare by one of the screenwriter’s (Will Reiser) and Seth Rogen’s friend. After watching their buddy deal with his case, they decided to write this movie. As a result, there is a realism and love-of-craft here that is not seen in many other movies. It’s funny, there’s real friendship, real love, real family, and it’s all done beautifully. You could do much worse than to see this one with your friends.
4.5 out of 5 stars
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