New comedy 50/50 a sure bet

Cancer. The big C. It's no laughing matter.

Oh wait, here's a Hollywood movie with a lot of talented actors that actually speaks to real situations and people. 50/50 is not so heavy-handed as it is light-hearted in its attempt to throw some light on what it’s actually like to be young and have your life flash before your eyes.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, a 27-year-old Seattle radio producer who learns that the weird pain in his back is neurofibrosarcoma, a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour also known as a malignant schwannoma. It's a rare genetic form of cancer (one sarcastic friend warns that the more syllables the cancer, the worse it is) that he learns has a 50/50 survival rate.

The news is enough to rattle anyone’s cage, but the young man doesn’t drink, smoke or even jaywalk. “I recycle!” he exclaims in defiance.

Luckily, he has an incredibly calm personality and two close friends: stoner/slacker (Seth Rogen as Kyle) and sensitive artist girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard as Rachael). They are there to help support him, give him love and guidance, and just generally keep him grounded.

But then there’s his overbearing, smothering mother, Diane (Anjelica Huston), who he calls an “irrational loon.” There’s also a young PhD candidate (Anna Kendrick as Katherine) to try to help him deal with his feelings. To that end, she guides him through awkward relaxation exercises and inappropriate touchy-feely moments.

That’s one of the main areas where 50/50 succeeds: people act strangely and say offensive things in real life. Boy, they sure do here. It gets a little offensive at times (Rogen is one of the stars, after all) but a little immaturity in an otherwise mature and serious movie makes for some big laughs.

Mostly though, the truth – the humanity – comes out by showing where things just don’t work out the way that they should. Adam’s doctor mumbles his way through the diagnosis, barely adding any emphasis to the words that most people fear ever hearing: tumour and cancer.

The movie works well with its excellent casting (including seasoned veterans Huston and Philip Baker Hall), its pacing and tone, and its subtle, subdued storyline about surviving the odds. This is what low-budget Hollywood should look like. Simple and effective.

Gordon-Levitt does a fine job with the material and could easily come across as a sympathetic character. I’ve always enjoyed his wonderfully expressive face but he probably needs a few more years learning method acting before he really hits his performances out of the park. Same with Kendrick.

In the end, the message is a strong reminder to stay positive even if you don’t have cancer. Anna, probably reciting lines of pop philosophy, encourages Adam with, “You can't change your situation. The only thing you can change is how you choose to deal with that.”

Good advice. Good movie. Good soundtrack too.