This one’s for all the hidden gems out there which occasionally escape our notice, released in 2011, 50/50 is a drama-comedy about a 27 year old who is diagnosed with a cancer of spine. Now I know what one might be thinking, how could a film about cancer fall into the category of a ‘feel-good’ movie? And while I cannot take the guarantee of the momentary panic and sadness that this movie might make you feel, I can promise it’ll leave a smile on your face.
Along with a fitting soundtrack, the movie sports a brilliant cast ensemble consisting of; Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Adam Lerner), Seth Rogen (Kyle), Anna Kendrick (Katherine) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Rachael). Adam is a mild-mannered young man who has always been quite cautious about his health; he doesn’t drink or smoke and hasn’t even learned to drive a car, so it is a cruel turn of fate when he is diagnosed with a rare spinal cancer. After this it is a journey of thorough ups and downs for Adam where he catches up on the realization of the magnitude of his disease, his mortality, the dear and anger that comes with it, people who are dear to him, and so on.
Since the primary theme of the movie is based on something as serious as ‘cancer’, it can be really difficult to execute a comedy off of it. But the subtle points of humor urges the audience to crack a smile through most parts of the movie while at the same time; it’s serious in all the right places. The overall careful moderation of the film between comedy and drama is commendable and leaves everyone awestruck.
The heartwarming honesty that Adam’s character resonates in every frame is carried out with great precision by Gordon-Levitt, and the other characters have been equally well-executed by other actors. Written by Will Reiser, this film is vaguely derived from the writer’s own experiences with cancer which is an indication to the fact that this film is appreciated for its accurate representation
of the disease and all that comes with it.
Loved by the audience and the critics alike, 50/50 stands with a score of 93% rotten tomatoes and 7.6/10 at imdb and the short runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes makes it a good watch for the weekend and definitely worth a shot.
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