Movie Review: 50/50

I definitely had some pretty high expectations going into this film.  It's been hyped for a really long time, and it is based on the real-life events of its screenwriter, Will Reiser.  And that is not to mention the fact that I already loved almost every person in this movie-- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who gets better with each performance; Seth Rogen, who is always hilarious and sometimes (like in this film) incredibly genuine; Anna Kendrick, who seems like the perfect candidate for typecasting but somehow manages to bring something unique and fresh to each role she plays.  But enough gushing; you want to know how the movie itself is.

50/50 is truly the perfect blend of comedy and drama, delivering subtle laughs and emotional punches that are more potent than I was expecting.  Gordon-Levitt gives a fantastic performance as Adam, the cancer-stricken protagonist, taking us through each stage of the illness in a devastatingly human way.  He shows admirable strength throughout the film, but the few moments of weakness are what make the story stick with you, and what convince me that he deserves some kind of award for this role.  Seth Rogen plays his best friend, who yes, is kind of a trademark Rogen douche at first, but who proves himself genuinely supportive and compassionate, while still supplying steady laughs.

There is a romantic storyline between Gordon-Levitt and Kendrick's characters, which is initially worrisome, as it stands to become extremely problematic if not downright unethical.  However, it is handled beautifully and doesn't cross any of the lines I had feared it might.  It is just a genuine kinship that slowly evolves into something bigger, proving that you just can't help who you fall for.

There are very very few weak spots in this film, but if I had to pick one, it would definitely be Rachael, Adam's girlfriend in the first half of the film.  I won't get into what goes down between them, but Rachael comes off as just plain irredeemable.  She is impossible to warm to, even when she's doing right by Adam, and it just seems implausible that someone as genuine as he seems to be would stay with her for so long.  Perhaps this is the result of sloppy writing, or maybe Reiser just has an ex he still hates (and if these particular events are true to life, she probably deserves to be dragged through the mud a bit).  Either way, it's something you can definitely push past to enjoy this film, and more importantly, allow it to resonate with you the way it is intended.