The film 50/50 stands out because it addresses the reality of people getting cancer at a young age. Although there have been quite a few movies about young kids or elderly people having cancer, there are not many movies about someone in their 20’s struggling with this illness. The reality is, anyone can get cancer, it does not discriminate against age, race or the rich or poor, it can take on anyone. In 50/50 they introduce a 27-year-old male named Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is diagnosed with an uncommon spinal cancer, giving him a 50% chance for survival. This movie takes us on a journey through Adam’s life and exposes us to the challenges he faces in this fight for his life.

Reiser (left) & Rogen (right)

50/50 is based on a true story about Will Reiser, a close friend to Seth Rogen, who was diagnosed with the same spinal cancer a few years ago. Reiser actually wrote the script to this movie and it is now up for a golden globe for best motion picture for comedy in 2012. During the film character the Adam interacts with his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) and Kyle is basically Adam’s companion throughout this difficult time. He also has a girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) and he started seeing a therapist named Katherine (Anna Kendrick). His father has Alzheimer's so he doesn’t know what’s going on, and his mother is a little overbearing and even said to the young therapist, when they met, “I want you to know, I only smothered him because I love him!” Katherine is a still working on her doctorate so Adam is kind of her Guinea pig during their therapy sessions. The combination of all the different relationship dynamics makes for a funny interesting story.  Although it seems like it may be a sad movie, it is much more light-hearted than you would think. The tone of the movie stays upbeat most of the time, because of the humor laced throughout the film, in just the right spots. I’m a little sensitive so to me it definitely had some tear-jerking moments, but it never went too deep within the interactions. It kind of lets you be an observer of all the different aspects of his life and relationships. Since there is no narrator, it feels like your watching a story take place and you get to decide what to make of it. It doesn’t tell you what to think like a narrator does, we just get to sit back and see how everything unfolds, and draw our own conclusions.

Rogen produced this film, and it is the first film that he produced that he did not have any co-producers. He’s been apart of making movies like Superbad, Pineapple Express, Knocked up, 40 year old virgin and Funny People, just to name a few. Most of these movies are what I like to call “stupid funny”, comedy mixed with outrageous obstacles, with a very simple goal to achieve within the film. I would say that these movies don’t focus on the most important life matters, instead they amplify true life situations we struggle with on a day to day basis. The plots of these movies address questions like; How are we going to get girls? How will we get away from the cops? How will we raise a baby when we barely know each other? How will we get our friend out of his rut ? How will I save my career before it’s too late? All of these things happen to people in life, just probably not as theatrically as portrayed in these films, which is where the humor comes in; Real life thoughts and situations mixed with funny outrageous stories of other people with the same problems, trying to come out on top. Funny people was the most serious out of all these films, ironically. It was about a man trying to reignite his celebrity status, and it had a very melancholy feel throughout the entire movie.  50/50 is more light-hearted but it touches on the cancer issue which is obviously more serious than getting getting the girl. This is a very different type of movie for Rogen, although he still plays that aloof, yet witty accomplice we all have grown to love. This movie shows his loyalty, honesty and capability of being a great friend. As for Gordon-Levitt, some of the films he has starred in are, Inception, Stop-Loss and Brick, all pretty serious films in the drama genre. He got his start doing a TV show called 3rd Rock From The Sun in the 90’s and then starred in 10 Things I Hate About You just a few years later. The roles he played in these comedies remind me of Gordon-Levitt’s role in 50/50. He is witty and charming and still keeps his “good guy” persona through out the film. He has obviously played more serious roles lately so it’s nice to know he can still access his comedic side. 

50/50 is not your typical comedy. It is named as a “comedy/drama” according to IMDB.com. Because, it was based on Reiser’s life, and he found humor in the odd situation, the movie emitted that same message. Sometimes bringing humor into a serious situation is a good way to deal with problems when they seem unbearable, and I think that is one of the messages to take from this film. Had they just focused on the serious side of the situation their target audience would have totally changed and the movie would have had a very different tone, possibly making it less enjoyable.

This movie is important in our culture today because it embraces an issue, that almost everyone has been effected by. Although, not everyone has had cancer, most people either know someone who has had it, or has been effected by it. It’s unfortunate to say, but cancer is a trend in our culture, and because there is no cure, it’s not going away. I think the target audience for this film is from ages 20-35. I’m sure anyone who watches this movie will probably enjoy it, but it was meant for this certain age group. I think Reiser wanted to tell his story to raise awareness that this could happen to anyone. Sometimes young people need to be reminded that we are not immortal. It is easy to be young and selfish, not worrying about the problems of others, as long as they don’t affect us. The truth is, we are in for a rude awakening if that’s how we chose to live, and this movie was meant to remind us of that. This film was made for people who have been in this situation, or may be in a similar one. 50/50 is just showing one way to deal with this illness, which seemed to be an effective way. There was a scene in the movie where Adam’s friends and family threw him a party a few days before his life threatening surgery to remove the cancer. During the party, one person after another kept approaching Adam with all kinds of advice, each one of them having something unique to say. Adam seemed to be put off by the whole thing, probably because there were no words to be said to better his situation, the reality of it could not be dulled down. One of his co-workers gave him a big hug and said “I’m going to miss you so much man”. I thought it was hilarious, because here Adam is, worried for his life, and this man is acting as if he is already gone. The look on Adam’s face is priceless. In a drama, this may have been a tear jerking moment, but the comedic side of the film came out when Adam rolled his eyes and just took it with a grain of salt. This movie had a lot of really good, but subtle messages, provoking us to think a little differently.

Philip Baker Hall as one of Levitt's Chemo Buddies 

50/50 has a lot of strengths as a film. I like the fact that they chose to take a different approach(humor), and target a different age group. I thought Rogen did a good job of limiting the crudeness for a film like this, while not totally eliminating it because that identifies him as an actor. I really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt because he seems very real and I think he fit the part perfectly. The acting was good, the script was well written and the movie touched on deep issues without being too depressing or simulated. I like that they show Adam’s interaction with other, much older, cancer patients because they gave him some perspective on his situation; his chemotherapy sessions became somewhat of a support group, giving him insight and keeping us chuckling. All in all I thought it was the perfect combination of drama and comedy, and it would appeal to anyone with a good sense of humor.

The head shaving scene that appears on the front cover of 50/50 was actually the real deal. When Adam finds out about the cancer and chemo treatments, he decides to shave his head, very spur of the moment. According to MTV News, Rogen suggested the scene be shot in one take, to capture the most genuine reactions. It was definitely a good choice. I think that’s one of the greatest things about this movie is that it is very authentic. The scenarios Adam was placed in, the way he and others react, and the nonchalant attitude Adam maintains through the film keeps us, the observers, at ease in a way, keeping our minds open to the humorous side of the drama. Any drama can come off as cheesy and they did a good job of avoiding that.

I personally didn’t see a lot of weaknesses in this film, although I did get a chance to read some reviews on rottontomatoes.com. The only bad review (out of 12 compared to 159 good reviews) that gave some criticism was from John Beifuss of Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) “Fact-inspired yet unpersuasive, transforming neurofibrosarcoma into a lucky break -- a short cut to a more purposeful life, complete with an attractive age-appropriate cancer therapist to replace the unfaithful girlfriend.” Most negative comments were focused around the fact that some people thought it seemed too much like a fairytale, and could not see the authenticity I saw. There were a few critics who felt like there was no place for humor in a film about cancer, so the entire concept of the film was over their head completely.  It was actually hard to find negative feedback, most of the reviews sounded like Tom Long’s from Detroit News “Chances are about 90/10 that you'll enjoy 50/50.” Claudia Puig of USA Today said, “50/50 nimbly draws humor out of a young man's illness, walks a tightrope of tragicomedy and touches on all the right points.” And Christy Lemire  of Associated Press said, “[director] Levine has accomplished a tricky bit of juggling here: He's made a film about cancer that's effortlessly affecting.” 93% of people liked the film on Rotten Tomatoes and IMBD gave it a rating of 8/10. I would definitely recommend it to my friends and I’ve already shared my thoughts on Facebook. The majority of people enjoyed this movie, even when they did not think they were going to. It seems uncontested; This film was a success.
50/50 touches your heart and tickles your funny bone all at once. The cast is unlikely yet successful, the acting is natural and authentic and the message is effortlessly effective.

Sources: www.imdb.com  www.movieline.com, www.youtube.com, www.zimbio.com http://www.filmofilia.com/ www.mtvnews.com www.filmonair.com
Additional links: Rogen and Reiser Interview  Joseph Gordon-Levitt Interview
50/50 is written by Will Reiser, produced by Seth Rogen and directed by Jonathan Levine.