50/50

So, a few weeks ago I wrote a blog entry documenting my favourite films of the year and vaguely explained why I chose them for my top five. One of the main reasons that 50/50 was not included in this list was that I was originally under the impression that it was not being released over this side of the pond until 2012. I was wrong. It was released three weeks ago. I watched it. I loved it, and then I watched it again. Now I'm writing about it...True story. From watching the trailers or reading the reviews I had more or less pieced together a jigsaw in my head of how the final cut of the movie would look, and as it turned out, for the most part the picture was fairly accurate. Truth be told, it's more or less a straight up cancer story which portray's the grueling nature of chemotherapy, the despair that cancer brings, and the strain that it puts on relationships. On the surface, there's really nothing here that hasn't already been seen a dozen times in other movies.

What I didn't count on however, was the fact that it serves as a very effective way of suddenly making a young audience become very aware of their own mortality, and therein lies its originality. This is something that I can honestly say I never felt while watching any movie in the past. Generally I consider the world of cinema to be a form of escapism, and as such regard most everything that I see within the confines of the auditorium as a work of pure fiction and nothing more. I did not feel that way here.

One of the most interesting aspects of the movie is that it is more or less an auto-biographical tale from it's writer Will Reiser, who was diagnosed with a very rare form of spinal cancer in his early twenties. Another interesting side-note is that Seth Rogen's character (that of the nurturing and well-meaning best friend) is also the role that he played in Reiser's life at the time of his diagnosis, as the two were (and still are) very close friends.

The lead role of Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is played with just the right balance of humour and melancholy as we see him transition through the various physical and emotional "stages" of The Big C. It is clear from the outset that Adam is one of those typical virtuous leading men, putting on full display - all the attributes of a man that women in the audience tend to fall in love with (not unlike his character in "500 days of Summer"). Levitt's real acting prowess is put on full display here, particularly in a late scene in the final act where his tribulations culminate in a heart racing, fist pounding nervous breakdown.

There is also more than adequate support from the likes of Angelica Huston as Adam's grieving mother, and Anna Kendrick as an adorably awkward shrink-in-training.With a compelling, sometimes bitter-sweet, but overall uplifting story and a very bankable assembly of talent in front of the camera, 50/50 is an absolute must see. If you can watch it without feeling the hair stand up on your neck, or at least feeling your chin wobble, then simply put, you are made of stone. Watch this movie.