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50/50 Review

50/50’s about dealing with cancer, but not in a sappy, emotional kind of way.

Cancer isn’t funny, and 50/50 doesn’t try to change that. Given the cast at hand, it’d be reasonable to assume that the Will Resier-penned dramedy would attempt the unthinkable: crass, R-rated cancer jokes. In actuality, the film is a touching, subtle look at how terrifying cancer truly is, especially when dealt to someone in their mid-twenties. There are laughs to be had, but this movie is about something much realer than comedy.

The film follows Adam (played by rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a 20-something living in Seattle. His life still on the up-and-up, he has a steady job working at NPR, lives with his incredibly attractive art curator girlfriend (Bryce Howard) and has Seth Rogan as a best friend. Comfortable living the white, middle-class dream, we learn early on that he has developed a rare but deadly form of cancer on his spinal cord. He learns that his survival rate is 50%, and leans on friends and family for support.

That he gets cancer at such a promising young time in his life is truly tragic, a point that the movie hammers home. Still between college and having a family to call his own, 50/50 spotlights the different relationships in

Adam’s life – and how they respond to such tragic news –throughout. Some fare better than others. By the end, Adam has made significant changes in his social life. The always-adorable Anna Kendrick plays a major role in Adam’s evolution, evolving from Adam’s therapist into potential love interest. What works best about the movie is how real Adam is portrayed. There aren’t any only-in-Hollywood moments where he swiftly changes his outlook on life; his emotions vary throughout. Half the time he’s scared, half the time he’s calm. Knowing that he has cancer definitely influences some of his decision-making, but not in a “let’s go skydiving naked because it’s on my bucket list!” kind of way. Knowing that his death could very well be around the corner dictates what he does, but in a reasonable, believable manner.