As a subcategory of the horror genre, the exorcism film does not have the best reputation. For every The Exorcist, there are a dozen Posessed’s and Beyond the Door’s. Yet, when done well, there is rarely something as profoundly [...]
While you may never read it on a prescription pad, the concept that laughter is the best medicine is familiar to most. Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 proves it with a film that’s half cancer drama, half buddy comedy.
Inspired by writer Will Reiser’s own experience with illness, 50/50 tells the story of Adam (Joseph Gordon Levitt), who is diagnosed with spinal cancer at the age of 27. Most of the narrative balances his struggle to accept his chances of survival with the ups and downs of his social support: his best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen), reluctant girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), overbearing mother (Anjelica Houston), and therapist (Anna Kendrick).
50/50 is not a standard illness film following in the footprints of Love and Other Drugs or A Walk to Remember. While Gordon Levitt’s representation of the physical hardship brought on by the cancer and treatment rings true, the movie never gets overly lost in representations of sorrow or anger. Instead, it is chiefly a comedy, choosing to face each new development with a light sense of humor.
This is made possible, and inoffensive, by the charms of the lead actors. Gordon Levitt plays Adam’s bitterness and dry humor with reservation, giving the sense of an actor seasoned far beyond his years. Still, he is easily outshone by Rogen, whose heroic Kyle is a Judd Apatow transplant with a heart of gold. Rogen, Reiser’s real life friend, has plenty to call on; the writer attributes some of the film’s best scenes to actual experiences the two shared when Reiser was battling his own cancer.
Culturally, most people are fairly accustomed to the concept of illness among the elderly. The establishment of rest homes, retirement villages, and hospice organizations has both removed exposure to affliction and codified a practical and emotional response to it. But what happens when it happens to you, and you’re young, and you have your whole life ahead of you?
This is the question that Reiser attempts to answer. While the film at times gets tied up in the shadow that Hollywood casts over its head (portraying a one-sided girlfriend, or an unbelievable romantic prospect), Reiser’s answer touches on friendship in a way that the bromance trend is alternately too bawdy or too shy to portray. Adam and Kyle are more like family than friends, and it is the warmth of their interaction much more than any doctor’s words that reminds us that everything will be OK.
Inspired by writer Will Reiser’s own experience with illness, 50/50 tells the story of Adam (Joseph Gordon Levitt), who is diagnosed with spinal cancer at the age of 27. Most of the narrative balances his struggle to accept his chances of survival with the ups and downs of his social support: his best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen), reluctant girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), overbearing mother (Anjelica Houston), and therapist (Anna Kendrick).
50/50 is not a standard illness film following in the footprints of Love and Other Drugs or A Walk to Remember. While Gordon Levitt’s representation of the physical hardship brought on by the cancer and treatment rings true, the movie never gets overly lost in representations of sorrow or anger. Instead, it is chiefly a comedy, choosing to face each new development with a light sense of humor.
This is made possible, and inoffensive, by the charms of the lead actors. Gordon Levitt plays Adam’s bitterness and dry humor with reservation, giving the sense of an actor seasoned far beyond his years. Still, he is easily outshone by Rogen, whose heroic Kyle is a Judd Apatow transplant with a heart of gold. Rogen, Reiser’s real life friend, has plenty to call on; the writer attributes some of the film’s best scenes to actual experiences the two shared when Reiser was battling his own cancer.
This is the question that Reiser attempts to answer. While the film at times gets tied up in the shadow that Hollywood casts over its head (portraying a one-sided girlfriend, or an unbelievable romantic prospect), Reiser’s answer touches on friendship in a way that the bromance trend is alternately too bawdy or too shy to portray. Adam and Kyle are more like family than friends, and it is the warmth of their interaction much more than any doctor’s words that reminds us that everything will be OK.
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1 comments:
Mixing humor and painful subject matter is, naturally, very difficult. The beauty of this movie is that it does so with ease, especially with such good actors in these roles as well. Good review. Check out my review when you can.
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