50/50 2011 Movie Review

"50/50" has been dubbed, "the cancer comedy" ever since the project got off the ground. The common questions attributed to the film are, "Can cancer be funny?" and "Should cancer be funny. Jonathan Levine (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Wackness) directs this true story, supposed comedy, about a twenty seven year old radio broadcaster named Adam, played by Josph Gordon-Levitt (Inception and Hesher). Adam is unexpectedly diagnosed with back cancer and given a "50/50" chance of living.  Adams best friend, Kyle, played by Seth Rogen (Knocked Up and Observe and Report) spends time with him while he is in a state of depression and numbness so he isn't forced to cope with such a heavy situation alone.

The story comes from the true life account of the films writer Will Reiser. Seth Rogen became friends with Reiser while writing  for "Da Ali G Show" which was being produced by Reiser. When Reiser was diagnosed with cancer the two of them spent a lot of time together, so essentially Rogen is playing himself in "50/50".  Rogen also produced the film.

Calling it the "The cancer comedy" and the overall marketing of the film is pretty misleading. Essentially it is a straight forward drama with some laughable dialogue from Seth Rogen. People may go into the movie expecting a comedy and leave disappointed, but I found the drama to be genuine and heart felt which is much more effective then the comedy that the trailers are trying to sell. The chemistry between Adam and Kyle feels very strong and caring at times. The supporting cast really helps to show that cancer is something that everyone around the afflicted are also learning to cope with. Seeing how the C word affects Adams family and friends is what seperates this from a typical Oscar hungry best actor drama, to a film that shows the overwhelming emotional affect of cancer on the subject and everyone close to the subject.

The box office records show this as the lowest grossing opening weekend for a Seth Rogen film in his career, his previous low held by "Zak and Miri Make a Porno." Nothing is more frustrating to me as a fan of film then seeing great movies like this, "Moneyball," and "Drive" getting wide theatrical releases only to be beaten in the box office by rereleases of "The Lion King" and other reboots and remakes. If you enjoy good movies go to the theater. If you don't see these movies in the theater then expect more rereleases and an overall lack of originality.

Rating: 8.2