50/50
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard
Rated: R for language throughout, sexual content and drug use
Based off of screenwriter Will Reiser’s own life experience, the dark-comedy 50/50 is a terrifically-moving film that is saturated with honesty, humor, and empathy about dealing with cancer without it every straying into the cliché or overdramatic. The story is about Adam (an authentic Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who, at age 27, discovers he has a tumor on his spine that gives him a 50% chance of survival. The heart of the film is then watching him deal with the onslaught of emotions and experiences that cancer brings daily, especially in his relationships with others. The story, while accurate, is more so a caricature of the experience than a realistic depiction; it certainly exaggerates aspects of the story, but it doesn’t do so to simply make us laugh or cry, but to help us experience the emotions that Adam is going through. From the stoic doctor who coldly tells Adam about his tumor to his fellow chemo-patients who turn to weed to get them through, Adam’s experiences seemingly put us through his own emotional journey, which is witty, funny, heartbreaking, and powerful. The only drawback is the always-crass Seth Rogen (who was Reiser’s real-life friend who helped him through his cancer), who despite being a great character in the film, uses extremely strong language that (along with a quick sex scene) should keep those not comfortable with hard-R content away. But, like most of the characters in the film, their short-comings are juxtaposed with the great lengths that they go to help and befriend Adam, showing an honest, funny, and emotional story about the importance of relationships when they are needed most.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard
Rated: R for language throughout, sexual content and drug use
Based off of screenwriter Will Reiser’s own life experience, the dark-comedy 50/50 is a terrifically-moving film that is saturated with honesty, humor, and empathy about dealing with cancer without it every straying into the cliché or overdramatic. The story is about Adam (an authentic Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who, at age 27, discovers he has a tumor on his spine that gives him a 50% chance of survival. The heart of the film is then watching him deal with the onslaught of emotions and experiences that cancer brings daily, especially in his relationships with others. The story, while accurate, is more so a caricature of the experience than a realistic depiction; it certainly exaggerates aspects of the story, but it doesn’t do so to simply make us laugh or cry, but to help us experience the emotions that Adam is going through. From the stoic doctor who coldly tells Adam about his tumor to his fellow chemo-patients who turn to weed to get them through, Adam’s experiences seemingly put us through his own emotional journey, which is witty, funny, heartbreaking, and powerful. The only drawback is the always-crass Seth Rogen (who was Reiser’s real-life friend who helped him through his cancer), who despite being a great character in the film, uses extremely strong language that (along with a quick sex scene) should keep those not comfortable with hard-R content away. But, like most of the characters in the film, their short-comings are juxtaposed with the great lengths that they go to help and befriend Adam, showing an honest, funny, and emotional story about the importance of relationships when they are needed most.
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