50/50 Review

--Robert Acosta

Cast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam
Seth Rogen as Kyle
Anna Kendrick as Katherine
Bryce Dallas Howard as Rachael

Plot: 27 year old Adam goes through a dramatic life change when he finds out he has cancer.

Review: 50/50  is a very risky movie. It's a very dangerous movie on a touchy subject, that being cancer. Only the right people could truly pull this movie off. Well, luckily for the cast and crew of 50/50, and the rest of the world for that matter, they got the right people on this movie.

In 50/50 you follow a young man by the name of Adam, who is in a relationship with a smoking hot girl named Rachael, played by the wonderful Bryce Dallas Howard, and it's apparent early that there is something up with this relationship. He also has a best friend in Seth Rogen who plays very much the same role he's been playing his whole career, being the "raunchy" best friend/sidekick, but very caring nonetheless. When Adam is told he has a form of spinal cancer, his relationship with Rachael crumbles and even his friendship with Kyle (Rogen) changes completely. The one thing he does get out of all this is a beautiful, rookie therapist, Katherine (played by Anna Kendrick).

What makes 50/50 great is that it can take the cancer side of the story very seriously. Never at one point will you feel that they are making fun of the disease, or making fun of having it. In fact, I feel like this story could be something of a pick me up for someone with cancer. They respect the process, all while lightening it up. When Gordon-Levitt has to shave his head, he does so with Rogen's body trimmer (highlighted in the trailer). When Gordon-Levitt goes through chemotherapy, he meets these two old men with cancer who couldn't be funnier and lighthearted given their conditions.

And the comedy is actually funny, and that had to be a given if this movie was any type of good. A comedy about cancer and it's not funny ends up being a tremendous flop, luckily that isn't the case. Gordon-Levitt does a good job of balancing the serious moments with the comedic ones and playing both of them very well. Rogen just seems to be around for some comedic effect, as usual. The acting overall was very good, and I can't get enough of Anna Kendrick. If she stopped doing stupid movies like everything in the Twilight series and more of 50/50 and Scott Pilgrim, she'd be my main woman.

It's a special movie, that needs to be seen, by non cancer patients and cancer patients alike, everyone does a great job with it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5