Now Playing: 50/50 (2011)

Today I again headed out to catch an early matinee with a friend so that I could knock another movie off my list of new releases I wanted to see. That film was 50/50. Once again, you can expect me to continue the Halloween Move Marathon later today with another review of a more appropriate film. Although if you think about it, being told you have cancer is a pretty scary idea. 50/50 has already been out for a while, but if you're still curious about it, just hit the jump and I'll let you know what I thought of it.


Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a regular guy, 27-years-old, and he's just found out he has cancer. Luckily he's not alone. He has his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), a new therapist he can talk to named Katherine (Anna Kendrick) and of course his mother is always there for him, even if he doesn't want her to be all the time. This is simply Adam's story of having to live with, fight, and come to grips with the fact that he has cancer. He doesn't need anything else to go wrong in his life, but the stresses of cancer can have further, unfortunate side effects.

Rachael swears to stick by Adam when he learns he has cancer

The idea of going to see a movie about a guy finding out he's got cancer is a little daunting. It's bound to have a few really low moments, and it could possibly be a real downer. I finally went to see it mainly because it has been getting good reviews. While it certainly did end up having some delicate moments, thankfully it has a good balance of comedy to even out those sad moments.

I really don't think this movie would work as well as it does, without those precious funny moments, mainly with his friend Kyle. Seth Rogen does a great job as the best friend, and I really felt like he and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character of Adam had a really good chemistry. They felt like real friends to me, not just actors playing their roles. While on one hand, it seems like it could be a little tasteless to have Seth Rogen's style of comedy, it works surprisingly well. The comedic moments also act in a contrasting manner, so that when the next emotional scene hits, I found it to be much more effective because I was going from such a happy point all the way down to a sad one. While it seems like a bit of a dirty trick, I was then thankful for the comedy when it came back because it also lifted you back out of that hole so the film wasn't insanely depressing.

Seth Rogen brings a very welcome comedic element to lighten the mood of 50/50

For a film like this to work, with such a heavy topic, the acting has to be top notch. Thankfully we have a great cast that doesn't pull any punches, no matter what the current vibe of the film is. When it's dramatic and sad, it's really sad. When it has to be uplifting and funny, it's exactly that. And when Joseph Gordon-Levitt has to give a performance to make me believe he's at his wit's end, not only did he successfully pull if off, but my mouth was agape in frightful shock for him.

For a long time, I was, simply put, not a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Inception forced me to change my opinion of him, and 50/50 has put me firmly in the fan side of his camp. I've already mentioned how well Seth Rogen did in the film for me, but a surprise for me was how much I enjoyed whenever Anna Kendrick was on screen. She usually seems to play a more bossy role, but this time she plays the kind and caring therapist Katherine that Adam is assigned to. She's actually still learning, and this is a learning placement, so there's some fun awkward tension as she stumbles a bit to make him feel better. There's also some good dramatic moments when he starts to open up and also when he starts having to face some hard facts about his condition.

Anna Kendrick was a surprisingly warm addition to the cast.

I ended up really liking 50/50, more than I thought I might have. It was a sad movie for sure, and it's sure to get some waterworks going in a lot of people who watch it. On the other hand, it has a great cast, many of whom are there to help Adam fight his way through the situation by being either warm and kind, or hilarious and fun. While they may be in the movie to help Adam, in a funny way they helped me get through it too. This is certainly not a film for everyone, but if you like a good drama, or enjoy Seth Rogen's particular brand of comedy, I think your odds of liking 50/50 will be pretty high!