50/50

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A 27 year-old guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) learns he has cancer and struggles to cope with the diagnosis.

Review:
Tim: I felt a bit bamboozled about 50/50. The trailers and previews made it look like it was a very, very funny movie that happeend to be about cancer. When I heard interviews with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, they talked about the challenge of making a movie about cancer that was funny- not depressing. They even stated that anyone can make a depressing cancer movie- it's making a cancer comedy that is difficult. When I watched the movie, however, I was shocked that it was mostly depressing, and very, very short on the comedy aspect. I felt like I had been led astray and tricked. This movie is powerful and depressing, but not that funny at all.

I'm really shocked at how little humor was actually in this movie. Most of the funniest moments were shown in the trailer, so they lose some impact when we actually see on them screen. The funniest scene might have been the head-shaving scene, but even this wasn't that funny. I'm not sure I laughed vocally once in the entire film. I'm shocked that this movie is even called a comedy, because it simply wasn't that funny. I would have loved to see a heartfelt, funny cancer movie. That isn't what we have here. In fact, the movie was actually quite depressing. As you might expect with a movie about a young man diagnosed with cancer and given a 50/50 shot of living, it's pretty emotional. However, the movie felt like it was draining and depressing. This is not what I expected going in.

The cast is pretty good. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an impressive actor, and he does a very good job here. The part requires a range of emotions, and he was definitely believable throughout the movie. I enjoyed him in the part quite a bit. Seth Rogen was a good companion, but I felt like he was restrained in the part. With the right material, Rogen is one of the funniest actors in Hollywood today. Unfortunately, I felt like he didn't have many opportunities to showcase that humor. The funniest moment with him might have been the clash with Gordon-Levitt's ex-girlfriend. Sadly, though, he didn't impress me at all.

Anna Kendrick was a nice addition to the cast. I really believe she's incredibly talented, and I love that she continues to do good work in these smaller supporting roles. While I didn't love her in this film, she clearly made the movie better by being in it. I hope she continues to grow and develop in her career. Bryce Dallas Howard did a good job as well. I love her willingness to play complicated characters that the audience won't like. It takes a special actress to pull these roles off, and she shows that fearlessness here. She was good, but her character was a bit difficult to watch. Anjelica Huston also did a nice job, but her character felt a bit too over-the-top now and then.

50/50 was a good movie- I'm not trying to downplay that. The film tackles a tough subject, and it does so with heart and with warmth. However, the movie strays into the too-depressing territory and didn't balance it out with enough true humor. I wanted to laugh, not feel sad. This movie is a very good drama, and an okay comedy. Putting those two together, this movie is good, but certainly did not live up to its potential. I liked it, but I was also disappointed.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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