Movie Review: '50/50'

50/50, the new cancer comedy based on screenwriter Will Reiser’s experience, isn’t trying to be funny. It isn’t trying to be sad. Decidedly non-manipulative, it deftly sidesteps the opportunity to give into melodrama, and doesn’t create crazy situations in order to squeeze out a laugh from the audience. It’s just a simple story that is extremely well told. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a 27-year old whose life is turned upside down when he is unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer in the form of malignant tumors up and down his spine. I know, there’s nothing even the slightest bit funny about this premise – in fact, I’m sure a lot of people will steer clear of this film because of the depressing subject matter. But what most people don’t realize is what an uplifting, real, honest, tough, and yes, hilarious movie 50/50 really is.

50/50 proves that humor can be found in a subject completely devoid of any glee. As Adam's best friend Kyle, Seth Rogen (who is Reiser’s real life best friend) doesn’t much change the character he usually plays just because of the delicate topic; he’s sex-crazed and foul-mouthed, but he also cares deeply about his friend and refuses to act differently around him because he’s sick. However it’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance that makes the film the emotional rollercoaster that it is. Not once does he overact, and not a single moment feels forced or untrue. He’s so personable, relatable and likable, yet he’s not afraid to show the bitter side of the character; here's a man who lives his life with an extreme focus on safety (he doesn’t even have his driver’s license because of the amount of car-related deaths) only to still be stricken with a disease in which he has a 50/50 chance of survival. This is his most heartfelt, career-defining performance, one that I sincerely hope won’t be overlooked come award season.


With a subject as sensitive and un-funny as cancer, to create a film that’ll genuinely have you laughing one minute and then wiping tears away the next seems like a near impossible task. Thankfully, this dramady beats the odds and emerges as one of the best movies of the year so far.

Rating: A