50/50

"No one wants to f**k me. I look like Voldemort."

I had high expectations for 50/50 and it is quite a feat that it has managed to both meet and exceed them. Joshua Gordon-Levitt, like Ryan Gosling, has shown he is exceptionally good at picking his roles and I am at a point now where if he is in a film I know there is a good chance I will enjoy it. His streak of great choices continues in 50/50 and he gives one of the best performances of his career. Gordon-Levitt comes across as so likable you can’t help but root for him in whatever he’s got himself into, whether it’s misplaced love, invading dreams or dealing with cancer.

50/50 is the story of Adam (Gordon-Levitt), who is diagnosed with a rare type of cancer and is given a 50% chance (get it?) of surviving. You see all the steps of his disease; the diagnosis, the chemotherapy, the surgery, and witness firsthand the effects his situation have on himself and those close to him.

The film is loosely based on the life of Will Reiser, the screenwriter of 50/50, which I think helps the script’s ability to come across as so real. Kyle (Seth Rogen), is Adam’s best friend and the one he leans most on as he tries to help Adam stay afloat. Seth Rogen is actually a close friend of Will Reiser, so who better to play the character of himself than himself? Rogen is channelling true emotions in his character because he was there for the real deal. Seth Rogen pretty much plays the same character in every movie because I assume he is playing how he is in real life, but his stoner humour comes across less forced here than it usually does compared to Funny People or Knocked Up.

Anna Kendrick (who is really starting to grow on me, and I will excuse her Twilight roles) plays Adam’s inexperienced therapist who gets some of the funniest dialogue in the film. Watching her and Adam’s relationship develop is one of the highlights of the story and their scenes contain some refreshingly natural dialogue. Anjelica Huston and Bryce Dallas-Howard round out the cast as Adam’s mother and girlfriend respectively. Adam’s mom is the typical worried mother (and who can blame her?), though the manner in which he responds to her reaching out to him may have you re-examining the way you talk to your own mother.

The film has an impressive ability to go back and forth between scenes that are genuinely hilarious and scenes that are extremely emotional. This movie is not always for the faint of heart, and though the ending is fairly predictable, the way it gets there will tug your heartstrings more than once. I particularly enjoyed watching Adam realize he was not alone with his disease and the impact of having a loved one have cancer (say, a best friend or a son) can be nearly as devastating as having the disease itself but in a different way.

I like that the movie didn’t spend any time on life lessons and had no scenes where he promised everything would change if he beat the disease. I like that the scenes that are dramatic are told using imagery or subtle dialogue without having the actors stand up and yell THIS IS EMOTIONAL at the top of their lungs. I hope other screenwriters and directors watch this film and use it as inspiration for how to handle these scenes. What I loved most of all about 50/50 was the ending. There is no campiness to be found, no overflow of jokes to try and break the tension, no sudden change in tone that is inconsistent with the rest of the film (ahem, Knocked Up). The end just happens and the movie ends. I wish all movies ended like this.

Bottom line, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this movie and wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. If you or someone you know has dealt with cancer firsthand, this story will grab you and refuse to let go. Don’t miss it.