Cancer isn't fun. Any Lifetime Original Movie will tell you as much. Most pop culture iterations, however, are rife with soft focus, beautiful imagery and talk of the great beyond. Inspired by actual events, "50/50" takes a different approach with a gritty, humorous take. And at times, it succeeds.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a Seattle radio producer who is shocked to learn that thanks to a rare form of spinal cancer, he has a 50 percent (get it? 50/50?) chance of survival. Dodging his overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston) and ditzy girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), Gordon-Levitt enlists the help of his wisecracking pal (Seth Rogen) and neurotic therapist-in-training (Anna Kendrick) to beat the diagnosis he never thought he'd get.
If you're thinking the above sounds like an exercise in typecasting, then you and I are on the same wavelength. Who would have imagined Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a hipster, Bryce Dallas Howard as a witch, Anna Kendrick as a type A and Seth Rogen as a guy who makes dick jokes? Though typecasting is as big a Hollywood staple as cocaine, it might not have hurt to get a bit more creative.
Still, there's a lot to like about "50/50." Just the insistence on avoiding overt sentimentality in a cancer movie is a step in the right direction. The last half hour, when Gordon-Levitt faces his possible death, is the most moving and earnest without being manipulative. And the whole "indie" vibe, from the gray tones of Seattle to the hip soundtrack, works well with this story.
"50/50" isn't quite as original as it thinks it is. But the one-liners are snappy, the performances heartfelt and the script mostly genuine. For trying to subvert the sappy sickness genre, "50/50" is worth a rental.
Special features include deleted scenes and audio commentary by Rogen, director Jonathan Levine and writer Will Reiser.
Film: 4 Yaps Extras: 3 Yaps