I think we’re all starting to get a little weary of Seth Rogen’s shtick by this point. Going into 50/50, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like it. The film is loosely based on Will Reiser’s, the film’s writer, own personal experience getting cancer. He and his friend Seth Rogen had never seen a film dealing with this subject matter told from the point of view of younger, twentysomethings, and decided to join forces and tell their story. I knew this going in, but I figured most of it would be farcical in nature (like the scene in the trailer where Rogen takes the film’s star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, out to a bar using his cancer to try and pick up girls). Luckily in the final product the funny stuff never strays into offensive territory and never gets in the way of the serious moments. In fact, I think 50/50 is possibly one of the most heartwarming movies this year!
The cast list is impressive in this one. As said before, Gordon-Levitt and Rogen headline the picture, and co-starring are Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, and Philip Baker Hall (perhaps better known as the library cop on Seinfeld). But by and large, one of the shining performances in this film is Anna Kendrick (whose recent role in Jason Reitman's Up in the Air has earned her some awards-cred). She plays Levitt’s inexperienced therapist barely out of med school; the interplay and the bubbling romance that forms between them throughout the film is amazing. As opposed to most films of this nature, their connection felt genuine and not forced. Seth Rogen is also on his A-game here, as funny as he’s ever been, but also knowing when to back down for a serious moment.
It may not seem like your cup of tea based on the synopsis (“the Seth Rogen cancer comedy” doesn’t seem like it would fill seats), but I think fans of dramas, comedies, or anything in between would be missing out. The movie felt fresh and different because of its perspective on a serious topic, typically handled by “adults” in movies; it was also uplifting in a real, not overly sentimental way. I was much more impressed by this film than I would have ever thought!
(By the way, it probably didn’t hurt that Lost/Up composer Michael Giacchino produced the music for this film!)
Rating: A-
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