Beating cancer

The difficulty of incorporating death into a comedy is to not take the issue too lightly, but at the same time put people at ease of their situation. Even the master of comedy, Judd Apatow, with his last film “Funny People,” focused less on the death aspect and more on the comedic elements.

However “50/50” succeed in the use of an everyday man like Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who treads on the side of caution in that he doesn’t have a driver’s license and relies on public transportation for the fear of getting into a vehicular accident. What also makes the news that he has cancer in the back is his youth when society believes that individual who are diagnosed with cancer have lived a good part of their life.

The film doesn’t try to go out of its way to be funny but focus more on the daily aspect of a young man dealing with the traumatic news that he has cancer. Despite the casting of Seth Rogen as his friend Kyle, he still delivers the laugh as a sidekick but he merely uses it to help his ailing buddy.

Based upon the writer’s experience, Will Reiser, the film finds a calm man just trying to live his life while trying to battle his diagnosis. His life consists of a girlfriend, Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard), who tries to be the supportive girlfriend, but finds herself no longer able to be by his side.

This life altering event helps Adam puts everything into prospective in regards to his friends, family and life. He’s able to make amends with his mother, Diane (Anjelica Huston), who must deal with a son who refuses to have contact with her who must also deal with a spouse, Richard (Serge Houde) who has Alzheimer. Helping Adam get through the stages of grief is psychiatrist, Katherine (Anna Kendrick), as the recent doctoral student working on her dissertation.

Mr. Gordon-Levitt’s performance as the victim is stirring as he goes through calmness before fustration and angst as he's unable to keep his demeanor. The audience want to see him beat diagnosis or at least live life to the fullest, according to his friend Kyle.

The film takes a look at dealing with the medical perspective from his appointments with the doctors to getting chemo treatment. During those moments, he finds a support group of his elders who are also diagnosed with cancer and establish a friendship between Mitch (Michael Frewer) and Alan (Philip Baker Hall).

Those scenes could be played as very dramatic in emotional in finding individuals confined to their recliner as chemo drips through their veins from an IV bag, but instead those moments are of comedic performances from the supporting players as they heed advise to young Adam and help him possibly overcome his possible fear of death.

Cancer can come in up all different types, conditions and unexpectedly, but this film takes a realistic approach of a young man’s attempt to fight rather than remain a victim of misfortune. The film brings into fruition that cancer can occur at any point of an individual's life and the sudden dramatic changes that accompanies. But through this news, he's able to come to the realization that he must prioritize his life events before being able to come to acceptance.

Classification: Blu-Ray release

Movie Grade: 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s stock as a rising actor continues with this light-hearted drama-comedy genre of a man forced to put things into perspective when he’s diagnosed with cancer.

Blu-Ray Grade: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Features include actors and crew discussing Will Reiser’s diagnosis of cancer, helping him out and getting his story onto the big screen.

· Audio Commentary with Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg, Will Reiser, Jonathan Levine and Ben Karlin.

· Deleted Scenes

· “The Story of 50/50”

· “Life Inspires Art”

· “Seek and Destroy”

Rating: R for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use

Timing: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes

Genre: Drama, Comedy

· Director: Jonathan Levine

· Writer: Will Reiser