Finding The Purpose of Life in the Darkly Funny, Existential “50/50″
He wakes up early. He walks down the stairs gingerly. He feeds his dog, perhaps for the last time. He gets dressed. He watches as his best friend pulls into the driveway. He gets in the car, no conversation to be had on the ride to the hospital.
This person is Adam. He’s recently been diagnosed with spinal cancer, which the doctors say has a fatality rate of 50 percent. The chance Jonathan Levine’s bittersweet dramatic comedy 50/50 is one of the best films of the year? 100 percent.
Everyone is aware of cancer. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t been affected by the disease. In 2001, my uncle died of cancer. My memories of the events are vague, except for my fathers’ reaction when he picked me up for the weekend. It was one of the few times I’ve seen him in cry. I responded with tears of my own.
In 50/50, though, Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a writer for public radio in dreary Seattle, attempts to deal with cancer in another way: optimism. Shocked that he’s likely to die at the age of 27 (even though he doesn’t drink or smoke and recycles), he still tries to not let the disease bring him down in the possible final months of his life.
Thankfully, he’s not alone in his struggle. Kyle (Seth Rogen), his best friend, sticks by his side every step of the way. Then we have Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard), who from the get go is wrong for Adam and is clearly disinterested in their middling relationship.
Best known for Jason Reitman’s Up In The Air, Anna Kendrick gives a great performance as Adam’s psychiatrist. Katherine is new at her profession, but a bond between the two eventually develops. Finally, we have the overbearing, yet well-intentioned mother (Angelica Huston). She has a husband who can’t talk to her (he has Alzheimer’s) and a son who won’t. Her concern is understandable.
50/50 is full of crisp writing, a rarity in 21st century cinema. Dramatic events ensue, but not without a fair share of equally witty and sadistic comedy. But above all the movie finds its strength in Gordon-Levitt’s compelling and moving performance as a young adult beginning to figure out the value of life.
Will Reiser’s script doesn’t come without flaws, though. The opening 30 minutes are remarkably unfocused and grating. All the characters, at least initially, feel forced and quite frankly not all that interesting. And the film contains too many musical montages, which feel tacked on for no reason.
But resembling life itself, 50/50 works through its shortcomings. After those first 30 minutes, I was in awe of how the script effortlessly flowed from the scatological to the heartbreaking. We come to care for Adam, his friends and his family. It’s a cruel experience that a person so young may have their life taken away so fast.
50/50 embarks on an emotional journey through family ties, cancer and moral complexities. It’s a roller coaster ride full of love, disappointment and compassion. Most of all, Levine’s honest portrait of a man battling the specter of his own death is genuine, a quality often absent cinema these days.
A-
3.5 Stars out of 4
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13 Comments
Hard not to think of this flick at least getting an Oscar nom, especially with a potential field of ten. I thought it was excellent.
I really want to see it! If I don’t get in at the London Film Festival, I will surely watch it at the cinema, when it comes out! Thanks for the review!
I’d like to see Levitt sneak into the Lead Actor field, but regardless of the film’s Oscar chances it is still a solid film. Good job, Sam
Umm, I don’t know if the Academy will be take this type of semi-comedy seriously enough to warrant any kind of nod.
Oh I know they won’t. They don’t reward comedies at all.
Even though I agree it’s an extreme longshot, I too would like to see Levitt somehow, some way land an Oscar nod. What a world that would be.
wow, i’m hearing so many great things about this movie. i gotta make sure i see this.
Same here! I hope to see this in a day or two.
I’ve been on the fence about this one, but after reading your review I definitely think it’s worth a look.
Glad to hear you reall enjoyed it Sam, and that it’s a film that is worth watching. Many film websites have been raving about this film all year, and after reading this review, my anticipation continues to rise. Also I think everybody loves a little sadistic comedy…
I just watched this today and I liked it quite a lot. I thought it started a bit hesitantly (as you did) and was a bit cliched with, for example, the doctor being heartless and incomprehensible. But it really does pick up steam into the ending, becoming quite touching and heartbreaking. The romantic arc is clearly predictable and having Howard’s character cheat on the main character so overtly was quite the shortcut but Kendrick and JGL are solid actors enough to make it go.
I thought nearly all of the comic relief came from Seth Rogen’s character which was a bit too one-sided for me and nearly made me wonder whether the movie would have been better without him.
I think the first third or so of the movie makes 50/50 slightly forgettable but overall, it would be in my top 10 favorite films of the year for now. This is about as upbeat as cancer can get.
I would rate it a B+
I actually thought the first 30 minutes were all about establishing characters, and since those characters are inhabited by JGL and Rogen and such, that worked for me. Once Adam receives his diagnosis, of course, 50/50 really picks up into full swing, but I didn’t get any negative vibes from the first act.
50/50 moved me. Mostly because I’ve had a couple of experiences very close to Adam’s final moment with his parents as the doctors cart him off for surgery, which made the film hit close to home for me, but also because of how Levine and his cast confront Adam’s illness with honesty and humor. It takes some amount of guts to go the places that 50/50 goes, especially as frankly as it does, and I admired that.
Plus it’s JGL. He’s a hard man to hate on.
This is my favorite movie of the year so far. Wondering if I’ll see anything that compares!
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