When I saw the trailer for 50/50 I didn’t think it could be done: a comedy about a life-threatening disease that is scaring the whole world. Fortunately, the team behind this movie did very well crafting a story both moving and funny, but like many other movies, it has its faults.
50/50 is about a man named Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who finds out he has cancer. To help him get over his troubles are his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), his psychiatrist Katie (Anna Kendrick), and his girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard). During the movie Adam is faced with different obstacles he must overcome. These include telling his parents, regular hospital visits, and psychiatric evaluations. All of this must be done without Adam ever being able to drive a car, as he has never learned. This is a clever element that adds much-needed character interaction and makes for some interesting situations.
Every actor does a commendable job. Seth Rogen plays his character just like he does any other, but he seemed to have more of a charming appeal as Kyle. Rogen usually plays the exact same cookie cutter character, almost like the stoner Michael Cera, but he always does it well, especially with his delivery of the hilarious dialogue.
Anna Kendrick plays her role as the awkward right-out-of-college therapist nicely, helping Levitt out in his troubling times. She is not seen much, but the glimpses given of her are a warm welcome to a mostly depressing time.
Bryce Dallas Howard is a name I had never heard before I saw this movie. The daughter of Ron Howard, a living legend, she does a very good job portraying Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend. As a matter of fact, I wish there was a little bit more of her in the movie. She was quite a springboard for Gordon-Levitt’s character to jump off of, and there are several scenes when they play off of each other very well.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt had the best performance. The audience could tell that he took his character seriously and took time to connect with the script. All of the emotions expected from someone who recently discovered they have cancer come out nicely through Gordon-Levitt. Every up and down throughout the movie can be seen just by looking at his actions.
The writer, Will Reiser, is another name I had never heard of. The only other writing credit he has besides 50/50 is a TV short, but after this movie releases wide I am sure he will be getting a few more things to do. Reiser does an amazing job creating a script that dishes out laughs and touches hearts. Half the movie is spent in laughter, while the other half is spent welling up and actually thinking. The only complaint I could possibly have is that these halves of laughing and crying are slightly uneven. One minute I could be laughing, but the next ten are spent staring tentatively at the screen. For the next twenty minutes, I am once again laughing. There are several scenes where the laughs are nothing more than comedic relief from the seriousness brought along with the film’s premise, and that works well, but there are other scenes in which Reiser doesn’t know whether to make it funny or serious.
The director, Jonathan Levine, has no noticeable directing credit besides the critically acclaimed indie film The Wackness. Levine does a good job with what he has. The camera moves back and forth between the characters almost like a TV show which is typical for an amateur director, but Levine does his best work with the more emotional scenes. Panning views work well along with close-ups of characters at their weakest. It’s not amazing direction, but it is still pretty good.
50/50 is a funny R-rated comedy and should be commended for its balance of emotion and laughter. If you need both a funny and endearing movie that includes R-rated elements 50/50 is your best bet for the summer. 8/10
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