Directed by:
Jonathan LevineScreenplay:
Will ReiserCinematography:
Terry StaceyComposer:
Michael GiacchinoCast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Serge Houde, Andrew Airlie, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Offbeat comedy about a young man coming to terms with cancer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a sweet-natured radio scriptwriter in his late twenties who is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer and given a 50/50 chance of survival. With the help of his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), his best friend (Seth Rogen), his mother (Angelica Huston), and a trainee therapist at the cancer clinic (Anna Kendrick), Adam begins to discover what really matters in life. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
50/50 has a particularly likeable cast, an engaging (if perhaps a little clichéd) premise, and great humour that is balanced by the drama. The film follows a young man who has to cope with a hard blow of fate, and while he goes through all the stages of his illness, those around him try to help him in any way they can. An enjoyable American film suitable for an evening that ended the way it had to. P. S. Voldemort rules!!!
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A movie about life, about everyday reality, problems that need solving and about not surrendering life like it’s some stupid game of tag. 50/50 is a great movie, a brutal tear-jerker, but it was very pleasant to watch. Especially because of the actors who were being just the way I want to know them; being true to themselves and distinctive. Everything in this movie was the right fit and once again, I was able to watch a movie that results in a tremendous joy of life. And that’ll really lift your spirits…
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Breaking with tradition, I will begin my comment about a good film by not recommending it. I don’t recommend watching 50/50 on a train. I watched in on the train and I was quietly tearing up by the end, having a hard time not to start sobbing in front of the other passengers. That would have embarrassing :-D. But about the film – very good. Joseph Gordon-Levitt confirms his quality as an actor, but I feel a little sorry for Bryce Dallas Howard, who this year has played an insufferable asshole in already two Oscar hopefuls and I think I will have her forever typecast in that character. The film parades a lot of emotions, from sadness to happiness and joy, it feels natural and sincere, without any award baiting cynicism. If it cut at the strongest moment right before the ending, I would go for five stars. I won’t say the ending ruins the very positive impression, but it does reduce it. Unfortunately. Ambiguity would be fitting for a film called 50/50.
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“I’m Adam Lerner, schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma.“ Another developmental stage of the bromance genre. Apatow’s comedy is intertwined with a “dying” melodrama. The boy-girl romantic storyline serves mainly as means of presenting the protagonist in greater detail, but it doesn’t answer the question of whether Adam’s girlfriends leave him melodrama because they’re bitches (as Kyle clearly believes) or because of his bland character and lack of will to change anything. Conversely, most of the truly touching moments are provided by the bromance storyline that sensibly uses Rogen’s committed (only?) position that he is a horny idiot and doesn’t care. He credibly complements Gordon-Levitt’s decent “I don't drink, I don’t smoke, I don't have a driver’s license” character (whose only bad habit is apparently biting his fingernails). The striking contrast between the two central characters is entertaining and their friendship is believable, while also offering two possible concepts of the human body – for survival/for satisfaction through pleasure. The laid-back pace of the narrative, sensitive incorporation of a serious subject into a comedy and the reduction of sentiment are definitely not qualities seen in every cinematic enrichment of oncological discourse. 50/50 not only enriches that, but also expands on it by putting a spotlight on false compassion and selfish unwillingness to take the negative with the positive, which is achieved through an initially likable girlfriend. Adam’s subsequent depressing loneliness casts doubt on the validity of the saying “live with people, die alone”. Some people are assholes, dying alone is a drag and living with a tumour involves pain, fatigue and vomiting. Banal, but true. The conveying of the knowledge that there may be no "after" was among the most powerful instance of such a message that I have ever experienced thanks to a film. Vastly superior to carcinogenic dramas. 85%
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I didn’t know very well what I was getting into, I took a cursory look at the film's profile and, judging by the poster, I expected it to be another comedy with a chatty Rogen, though exceptionally well-received. I was wrong, very wrong. 50/50 is a real-life story that portrays a more or less realistic main character who has to deal with a serious illness and a challenging treatment that will change his life fundamentally. At times the narrative is quite depressing and poignant, but fortunately also pleasantly funny, unpretentious, and very personal and smart thanks to Levitt's performance. Unlike most, I didn't mind the foul-mouthed Rogen, who on the contrary brought the same freshness to the film as he did to his sick friend. It's a weird film, there are some really funny and light-hearted moments, but when you realize what's actually going on and how things will turn out, the laughter comes out a bit hard. But on the other hand, the expected happy ending finally hits us so hard that we want to jump out of our chairs, give our emotions free rein; we want to live. And this is exactly what this film is about. 80%
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