When Life Gives More Than Lemons

The film 50/50 (2011), directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Will Reiser, is based on a true story and is extraordinary well made. Joesph Gordon-Levitt gives an amazing and, in my eyes, very believable performance in his role as 27-year-old Adam who receives life changing news.

Now, I don't want to give too much of the plot away because I myself personally don't wish to particularly know anything about a film before I see it because I want to have no preconceived notions and thus I would want to show everyone else the same courtesy. But I will give a small summery here and if you, like me, prefer nothing of that kind when having a film recommended just skip the rest of this paragraph and continue with the next one. So, for a quick summery this film is centred around the character Adam who gets a malicious kind of spinal cancer which he finds has a 50/50 survival rate. His friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen), tries, though somewhat clumsy and misguided, to be there for Adam and be a god friend in difficult times. Adam also has to face his already overbearing mother Diane (Anjelica Huston), who is otherwise often busy tending to Adam's father who has Alzheimer, becomes even more invested in her son to his great annoyance. When it comes to Adam's girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) their relationship suddenly falls in a whole new light and becomes a whole new struggle. To top it all off Adam is offered time with a therapist and if he's sceptical to begin with it doesn't help that the woman he is assigned to, Katherine (Anna Kendrick), only ever has had two cases before him. All of this makes Adam's life suddenly completely thrown about. Nothing make sense. And time might be running out.

All in all this film is very capturing and does well in making it easy to feel a connection to the characters and to be emotionally invested in them. It's well made and though it is listed as a drama comedy it does not take things neither too lightly nor too darkly. Nothing is black and white and nothing is over simplified or made too complex - the film stays true to real life. The humour is not of the one-liner kind or akin to slapstick comedy films, it's the kind you'd meet in everyday life. It's the kind that either makes you cringe a bit or smile warmly. Overall is a very well-balanced film.

For comparison; if you have seen The Bucket List (2007) and enjoyed that film you would probably like 50/50 as they are somewhat similar. Same goes for Barry Levinsson's Rainman (1988) which is, if not in theme, similar in how it treats its story and characters.

And with that I will end by saying that I absolutely recommend this. Not for its comedy as it's not hugely comedic or for the drama as its not bombastically dramatic and not for being a grand and epic story but simply for how quietly brilliant it is. I hope you see it and I hope you enjoy it!