50/50

It’s tough making a comedy about a young man (Adam) who discovers he has a rare form of cancer with only a 50% chance of survival.   This heartfelt attempt is derived from  the true story of David Reiser, who wrote the screenplay and based it on his real-life friendship with comic actor Seth Rogan who re-plays that role in the movie as Adam’s best friend Kyle.

As Adam’s rather ordinary life as a radio producer in Seattle is turned upside down by the news, the movie focuses on how everyone around him reacts, mainly badly. His girlfriend who wasn’t that keen on him in first place, declares her support, but sleeps around instead.  Kyle uses his friend’s illness to get sympathy sex for himself from a whole stream of girls, and Adam’s overbearing and highly emotional mother (played by the sublime Angelica Houston) drives him crazy.

Add to the plot an awkward and cold fish of an Oncologist who can never look Adam in the face, and a baby faced voung female Therapist who cannot stop looking …. at his face that is.

50/50 avoids being anything like a tearjerker because of Mr. Rogan’s excellent and funny performance as Kyle getting up to his antics, but personally I still felt a tad uneasy about the whole subject matter being worked as a comedy regardless of the final outcome.  And as capable actors they are … and I have always been a major fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt … and he is extremely likable as Adam, he somehow just didn’t convincing seem like a leading man.  And Anna Kendricks as the Therapist looked like she was still in high school and so I simply couldn’t take her seriously despite her competant acting.

Despite that I am still putting it on my go-see list …… but maybe walk to the theater instead of running.

★★★★★★★