Plenty of movies have been made about cancer: “Terms of Endearment,” “Love Story,” “Brian’s Song,” “Life as a House.” None of them have the humor of “50/50.” You might have thought that it was impossible to make a comedy about cancer, or at least one that’s also properly sober and sympathetic. “50/50” is a special film. It takes serious illness seriously, but also recognizes that though the cliche “laughter is the best medicine” might not always be true, there’s no denying that human beings find humor a necessary escape from the darkest experiences of life.
Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Kyle (Seth Rogen) are best friends, though they have rather different approaches to life. Adam is a sweet guy, content to have a sexless relationship with girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), while Kyle embraces fun over security and pushes his friend to stand up for himself.
Onscreen |
’50/50′ |
3.5 out of 4 stars |
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick |
Director: Jonathan Levine |
Rated: R for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use |
Running time: 99 minutes |
That easy friendship is tested when Adam, just 27, learns he has a rare form of spinal cancer. Kyle asks his chances for making it through. “I looked it up and it said 50/50, but that was the Internet,” Adam responds. “Oh, it’s not that bad. I thought it’d be worse,” Kyle says with some visible relief. “If you were a casino game, you’d have the best odds!”
As Adam struggles to survive, Kyle, in his own inimitable way, is there to help his friend see the few bright spots in being diagnosed with cancer. The disease helps both of them pick up chicks. And Adam gets to meet a woman who’s not as self-centered and pretentious as his artsy girlfriend. Katherine (Anna Kendrick) is just 24 and still in school, but the hospital assigns her to help Adam cope. Though the stoic Adam doesn’t think he needs any help dealing with the fallout of his deadly disease.
“50/50” is filled with just as many laughs as you’d expect from a film starring Rogen, who also serves as producer. He’s also playing a version of himself: The film was written by his friend Will Reiser, who makes his screenwriting debut with an autobiographical story that clearly hits close to the bone. There are genuine moments of sadness here, too.
But in fact, it’s the comedy that makes this movie more realistic than most about possible terminal illness. Particularly moving, with laughs and tears, are the hours when Adam gets chemo, alongside some older patients, played by Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer. Here Adam really learns how to live with the prospect of death — and finally sees what kind of people he needs around him to do so.
A beautiful, sometimes gloomy, Vancouver, substitutes for Seattle: Adam and Kyle work for the Seattle NPR affiliate. That city helps set the mood, but it’s the two men at the center of the film (and each other’s lives) who make “50/50” a surprising and rare work of art. Rogen is a funnyman who’s growing up without losing any of his ribald charm.