How can you make a comedy about cancer? Forever we have seen cancer play huge roles in films, but it’s only in the drama genre and nowhere else. Cancer is a tough, deadly disease that is a very sensitive subject for a lot of people because of how many that have been affected by it. However, director Jonathan Levine (The Wackness) finds a precise balance between the hurt and the humor which makes 50/50 emotional, heartfelt, and actually funny too.
Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a writer of radio programs and is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer at the age of 27 years old. He breaks the news to his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) who seems to not take it too seriously and pretends everything will be fine. But later we find out he is more worried than he acts, which who can blame him. Kyle actually sees this as an opportunity for Adam to use his cancer to his advantage in order to pick up women after Adam dumps his selfish but scared girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) for cheating on him.
Also, Adam is recommended to go to therapy and there he meets a young therapist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick) who he doesn’t take seriously because of how young she is. He considers her to be a joke and while she is still learning, she is able to relate to him in a way that both never thought was possible. And Angelica Houston is fantastic as Adam’s mother. She is overbearing and once he does tell her about his cancer, she freaks out just like he knew she would. But she is going to worry because she is a mom. It is her job to worry about her son.
And through his journey of treatments and struggle to beat the disease, Adam finds out a lot about himself and his family and friends. He finds out what is most important in life and sees things in a completely new light. With the help and love of those around him, Adam is given strength and hope to help survive and heal.
50/50 is actually inspired by a true story that comes from the writer Will Reiser‘s own experience with cancer. So the story comes from a personal place and while the story is delicate, it is unsentimental. Levine takes what could be a downer of a movie and turns in to something funny, endearing, and honest. Some of that comes from a premise with substance as well as having characters with depth.
Levitt gives another terrific performance as Adam, a devastated young man who believes his life has been cut short. And he starts out bitter and angry at the world, which I am sure is normal. But it is his journey through all of this and his relationships that show him what life is really about. And Rogen plays the sidekick in this movie, and he seems to always say the right things at the wrong time. But his heart is in the right place and while it may be tough to notice at first, he really does care and love his friend.
50/50 is a dramatic comedy and Levine mashes the two very nicely. It is a touching, sincere story that isn’t afraid to make you laugh about the tough things in life. The movie is thoughtful and affecting and, of course, it will make you laugh and cry, but it never becomes too much. It is done just right.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
