Title: 50/50
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Year: 2011
Cast:
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Seth Rogen
- Anna Kendrick
- Bryce Dallas Howard
- Anjelica Huston
- Serge Houde
- Andrew Airlie
SYNOPSIS
Adam is only 27 years old and and he found out he has a rare form of cancer after getting a recent medical exam.
Adam is somewhat estranged from his parents and his diagnosis further strains his fragile relationship with his mother. She wants to take care of him but he wants to be left alone.
Adam's girlfriend Rachael tries to stay by his side as he struggles with the disease but she's finding it difficult to deal with a sick person.
His best friend Kyle is fairly optimistic about Adam's 50/50 prognosis. Kyle encourages Adam to use his cancer to get girls and to have sex.
To cope with the disease, Adam's doctor recommends him to a psychiatrist. His psychiatrist Katherine is only 24 years old and he is her third patient.
REVIEW
I initially thought that 50/50 has a dubious premise because I really don't think the comedy genre fits well with serious topics such as life-threatening illnesses and death. If anything, I was afraid that the movie's brand of comedy will be tasteless and insensitive. So it was a pleasant surprise that 50/50 is full of heart and sense.
I think it is a good movie to watch for people who get sick but it is especially helpful for people who know someone who is sick. In a way, the movie gives people an idea about what to say to a sick person, what not to say to a sick person, and how to care for someone who is sick in a way that he would appreciate.
Adam's best friend Kyle was a character that was difficult to understand because he keeps talking to Adam about girls and sex as if Adam didn't have a 50/50 prognosis. I was wondering throughout the movie if he is just a stupid person who honestly don't know any better or if he is just emotionally challenged.
But then it was revealed later in the movie that Kyle is really trying to find out all he can about caring for and relating with a person who has a life-threatening disease by reading several medical books and that he talks about girls and sex because it's a way that he thinks he can give Adam hope. Although Kyle's actions are sometimes questionable, there's no question that he really cares for his best friend and he is doing everything he can to help Adam get through his ordeal.
Katherine is Adam's psychologist and she helps him deal with his illness and his relationships. Katherine is smart and pretty but she's still quite inexperienced in her profession so her sessions with Adam are as much a learning experience for her as it is for him.
Katherine: You can't change your situation. The only thing you can change is how you deal with it.
Katherine: Adam? It's midnight. What's going on?
Adam: Um... just probably having a nervous breakdown. I think I just uh...fractured my larynx.
Katherine: I'm really really glad that you called.
Adam: I just want it to be over. I'm so fucking tired of being sick. You know if this surgery doesn't work, it's um...that's it. And I've never, you know, I've never been to fucking Canada. I've never told a girl I loved her. It sounds stupid, doesn't it?
Katherine: No, it doesn't.
Adam: Sorry I was such an asshole the other day.
Katherine: No, I was an asshole. I was totally unprepared for you. This job is really hard. If I fuck up, I can ruin somebody's whole life.
Adam: Well, I guess we're both beginners at this.
Katherine: Yeah.
Adam gets better and he eventually gets together with Katherine in the end. However, although I feel happy that they are getting a 'happy ending', I can't help but feel somewhat disconcerted with how things turned romantic between the two of them because they have a professional relationship.
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50/50
