Comedies are perhaps the most difficult genre of film. The tone has to be pitch perfect as to not be too silly, yet present a story that maintains the energy throughout the film. Add the element of cancer as a subject of the story line and you are almost doomed to fail. Adam Sandler found an excellent mix in 2009 with his Comedy/Drama cancer story in Funny People. To date, it is one of my favorite Adam Sandler films. But Funny People is best described as a drama with comic elements.
50/50 is a film comedy with dramatic elements and tells the real-life cancer struggle of Will Reiser. He was diagnosed with a severe form of cancer on his spine and his chances for survival were 50/50. Reiser, penned the script for 50/50 a few years after he beat the disease. In the film, Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays the character based on Will Reiser’s life. Adam and his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogan – also Reiser’s friend in real life) journey through the ups and downs of diagnoses, girlfriends, hook-ups, clingy mothers and the overall fear of dying at a young age. Adam’s girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) is an aspiring artist and seems to have a heart of gold; well the first five minutes in the film. And after telling Adam that she will be there for him, she disappoints him at every turn. Adam’s therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick) is a PhD student working on her thesis and at first is a bit off putting as she is younger than Adam and so young that a Doogie Howser reference is even too old for her to get. Adam’s cancer buddies Mitch (Matt Frewer) and Alan (Philip Baker Hall) are the most grounding of the characters and their wisdom and humor give Adam a support that is well needed in his life. And rounding off Adam’s support group is his well-meaning, yet smothering mother Diane (Anjelica Houston).
But the most substantial part of the story is Adam’s friendship with Kyle. It’s Kyle that takes the whole disturbing and difficult road with Adam. He works diligently at keeping Adam’s mind off his cancer and directing it at potential pick-ups of sympathetic girls. At times, Kyle’s obsession of sex is off-putting and annoying to Adam and to the audience too. But there is a method to Kyle’s madness, which shows that he always has Adam’s best interest at heart.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a well-casted actor to play Adam, but I feel he needed more emotional range in his performance. Sometimes I asked myself “Does he really know he has cancer?” Seth Rogan is the best friend that any cancer patient would be lucky to have. Obviously, Rogan was able to apply his real-life friendship with Reiser to his part. Anjelica Houston is wonderful as Adam’s mother, when is she not? But the real gift in this film is Anna Kendrick’s performance as Katherine. She plays the therapist out to help her patient with poise and kindness. Her vulnerabilities help to expose Adam to the idea that others around him need a little help too. This is my favorite performance of Kendrick’s to date. The script by Reiser is excellent. It walks the tightrope of comedy that is tricky at every step. It’s not too funny as to be unbelievable and it’s funny enough to keep the energy going throughout the film. Jonathan Levine does an excellent job as director and he provides a good pace for the film’s emotional spots. His use of classic rock songs in the montages are most successful too.
Overall, 50/50 is a good film and is recommended. It’s not going to win any Oscars®, but it will made you laugh and just might win your heart.
50/50 is Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use and has a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
For Up To Date News on the Oscars®, please see Kay's facebook page: 84th Annual Academy Awards
Whatever your movie choice this week, please remember your movie theater etiquette: silence your cell phones & no texting, please don't talk during the film and remove your children if they become a distraction to other audience members. Don't forget that laughing, crying and cheering are always approved behavior and even encouraged.
Enjoy this review? Receive e-mail alerts when new reviews are available. Just click on the "Subscribe" button above. Thank you!
-Kay Shackleton is a film historian with special focus on Silent Films, see her work on SilentHollywood.com
Comments