50/50 Review

     At long last I finally got to see 50/50, a movie staring Joesph Gordon-Levitt (a favorite actor of mine since 3rd Rock From The Sun), Seth Rogen (a funny guy), and Anna Kendrick (a celebrity crush I have). I missed seeing this in the theater last year and boy, am I regretting it. This was a very good heartfelt movie that had me laughing (hard!) at moments and being moved dramatically at others. I loved this movie.
     Joesph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a 27-year-old who doesn't drive, has a nice girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), an overprotective mother (Angelica Huston), and a fun-loving best friend (Rogen). After a trip to the doctor, Adam discovers that he has spinal cancer, a very unexpected development for him. From that moment, he and the people around him (joined by an inexperienced therapist played by Kendrick) try to cheer him up and get through his cancer treatments to help beat his cancer.
     Right off the bat, I really liked Adam. I thought he was a relatable character and the way he reacts to his mother overbearing him and his very close but sometimes obnoxious friend was very realistic. They were how I would react with these people. Every step of the way I could understand why he was feeling the way he was and how dramatic it is to deal with something as life threatening as caner. Joesph Gordon-Levitt really proves why he is one of my favorite actors in this movie.
     Seth Rogen was also a smart addition to the movie. He was really funny and reacted to Adam well. His character, Kyle, really had me laughing hard at some of his witty dialogue and sense of life. In fact, the writing to this was superb. I was surprised how they were able to take something as serious and non-comedic as cancer and make it realistic and heartfelt through the type of comedy they threw at the audience here. It was also amazing to see it come back to some really heartfelt moments and drama with Adam. You really see him deal with this in very rough manners. Writer Will Reiser really balanced it well.
     The rest of the cast was very good. Anna Kendrick was great as his therapist, Kathrine, and I really believed her relationship with Adam. Angelica Huston, one of the best older actresses out there now, was great as Adam's mother and you saw why she was acting the way she was to the whole situation. Bryce Dallas Howard also does well in the role she is given. She is a great young actress.
     This was based on a true story, and I would be interested to see how it went from a true story to this film. I am also wondering if Jonathon Levine had some sort of relationship with this story or the man Adam was based off of. Hopefully the DVD extras will tell me something about it. This was truly a great film and a brilliant example of what Independent film can be with the right actors. If you want a movie with everything in it and it all mixes well, don't miss this one!
Grade: A
Also, as a little side note, I found it interesting how the ending to this film was very similar to the ending of another 2011 favorite of mine, Beginners. Both films even have the exact same final lines of dialogue! I think it's a cool coincidence, both are favorites of mine!