It's a tough job taking a serious matter of a life threatening disease and making a heart warming tale while getting across a comedy theme at the same time, yet this film manages it incredibly well. Easy going Adam has his whole life ahead of him and with his simple lifestyle, supporting girlfriend and wisecracking best-friend not much was getting in the way of his happiness, yet after a casual back pain turns out to be a malignant tumor Adam's whole world is ripped apart. Being thrown into a whole new world of medication and therapies Adam has to literally adjust to survive, as those around him come together to support him, Adam's chances of survival swing back and fourth in a emotionally charged yet humorous film that really hits home as he comes to terms with having Cancer.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the role of Adam as usual amazingly, while Gordon-Levitt always puts his all into whatever film it is, in this he really commits and makes the audience care for Adam and what happens to him through his powerful yet normal portrayal of a guy on the edge of death. Seth Rogen takes the to the part of Adam's best-friend Kyle, while like in most films Rogen's humbling goofball character is present in this it goes so well with the other characters and even impacts upon the emotion of the film and how while being an idiot the love he has for his friend is always present. Anna Kendrick adds to the light hearted humor as Adam's assigned therapist Katherine and who acts constantly as a rock for him when things build up, while not overwhelming in performance she puts what needs to be their in the film and not over killing with the comedy which really fits with the tone of the film. Bryce Dallas Howard as Adam's confused girlfriend Rachael who ends up being a bit of a cheating control freak is perfect for the part and that in no way is a bad thing she pulls out all the stops and makes you dislike the character and really pushes the emotion of the film while providing another aspect of realism combining perfectly with comedy. Other characters that have prominent roles are Adam's parents, Anjelica Houston as his caring and doting mother Diane alongside Serge Houde as Adam's father Richard who suffers with Alzheimer both adding to the film with realism and awkward yet touching comedy moments.
This film blends emotion and comedy amazingly well and going into it hearing about what the story was about made me wonder how it was going to approach its touchy subject. Everything fits together, making light of the situation while at the same time highlighting the seriousness and not mocking it, partly due to the down to earth and realistic characters. While the characters all stand out, Gordon-Levitt pushes all the other performances forward with his portrayal of Adam with his emotionally fueled tale as well as the characters reactions and how they reach out to him and push to help him in any way they can. This is one of those films which throws conventions of what can and can't be turned into a film which is in no way a bad thing, and give a comedy a serious tale of coping with a disease while at the same time making people smile. while at times it tears at your heart strings and really makes you concerned for the characters, at others it'll have you smiling at the situations and random moments which show how life isn't all full of despair. While It's not completely perfect comedy in comparison to other comedies which take out all the morality of life and hit home with dreary humor, 50/50 manages to give a comedy a heart while also giving audiences a reason to have to genuinely smile something which is often missed out these days. I'd recommend this film to any one who hasn't seen it already as it really is a stand out comedy of 2011 with a rare story which will give even the most heartless a cheery smile when they walk out. put simply, go see this film!
9 / 10
FIN.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the role of Adam as usual amazingly, while Gordon-Levitt always puts his all into whatever film it is, in this he really commits and makes the audience care for Adam and what happens to him through his powerful yet normal portrayal of a guy on the edge of death. Seth Rogen takes the to the part of Adam's best-friend Kyle, while like in most films Rogen's humbling goofball character is present in this it goes so well with the other characters and even impacts upon the emotion of the film and how while being an idiot the love he has for his friend is always present. Anna Kendrick adds to the light hearted humor as Adam's assigned therapist Katherine and who acts constantly as a rock for him when things build up, while not overwhelming in performance she puts what needs to be their in the film and not over killing with the comedy which really fits with the tone of the film. Bryce Dallas Howard as Adam's confused girlfriend Rachael who ends up being a bit of a cheating control freak is perfect for the part and that in no way is a bad thing she pulls out all the stops and makes you dislike the character and really pushes the emotion of the film while providing another aspect of realism combining perfectly with comedy. Other characters that have prominent roles are Adam's parents, Anjelica Houston as his caring and doting mother Diane alongside Serge Houde as Adam's father Richard who suffers with Alzheimer both adding to the film with realism and awkward yet touching comedy moments.
This film blends emotion and comedy amazingly well and going into it hearing about what the story was about made me wonder how it was going to approach its touchy subject. Everything fits together, making light of the situation while at the same time highlighting the seriousness and not mocking it, partly due to the down to earth and realistic characters. While the characters all stand out, Gordon-Levitt pushes all the other performances forward with his portrayal of Adam with his emotionally fueled tale as well as the characters reactions and how they reach out to him and push to help him in any way they can. This is one of those films which throws conventions of what can and can't be turned into a film which is in no way a bad thing, and give a comedy a serious tale of coping with a disease while at the same time making people smile. while at times it tears at your heart strings and really makes you concerned for the characters, at others it'll have you smiling at the situations and random moments which show how life isn't all full of despair. While It's not completely perfect comedy in comparison to other comedies which take out all the morality of life and hit home with dreary humor, 50/50 manages to give a comedy a heart while also giving audiences a reason to have to genuinely smile something which is often missed out these days. I'd recommend this film to any one who hasn't seen it already as it really is a stand out comedy of 2011 with a rare story which will give even the most heartless a cheery smile when they walk out. put simply, go see this film!
9 / 10
FIN.
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