50/50 (2011)

Genre: Drama / Comedy

Directed by: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Green, Anna Kendrick

Running time: 100 minutes

When moviemakers try to mix drama and comedy in the same film, it sometimes creates confusion and makes you wonder, by the end of it all, what they were actually trying to accomplish. With 50/50, Jonathan Levine did not fall in that trap. In this case, the balancing act is performed quite well and what we get is a good little movie filled with laughter and emotional moments.

50/50 tells the story of Adam Lerner (Gordon-Levitt), a 27-year-old radio journalist who is living a quiet life spending most of his time with either his best pal Kyle (Green) or his artist girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). Kyle never likes anyone Adam dates, including Rachael, but maybe he has a point this time. When Adam finds out he has some rare form of tumor on his spine, his life is turned upside down and he has to reevaluate his relationships with his best friend, with his girl and with his mom. Saying it is a trying experience is quite the understatement.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an actor that has always kind of blended in the scenery of various movies in my eyes, really shines here. He really digs deep within himself and makes you believe his character. He makes you feel all the doubts and the pain, and the viewer can’t help embark on that journey with him.

Seth Green plays himself yet again – a brash pot-head who boasts loudly but has a deep-rooted sweetness inside him – and he does it quite well. I would love to see him venture out into something more profound down the line, but he knows his role here and he’s efficient with it. He’s the one who brings the biggest comedic moments here.

I would like to mention Anjelica Huston, who plays the mother of Gordon-Levitt’s character. She is quite good as a mother who has to cope with a son having cancer and who wants to take charge. She doesn’t go full-blown Shirley Maclaine in Terms of Endearment on us, but, in her own way, she makes that character really sympathetic.

All things considered, a very entertaining movie with a great cast of actors and actresses telling a compelling story.

Rating: ««««