Written by James M. Tate / 10/01/2011 / No comments / comedy , drama , dramedy , joseph gordon-levitt , seth rogen , tens
50/50

year: 2011
cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Angelica Huston
rating: ***
The second film in which Seth Rogen plays the sidekick of a guy who gets cancer, that being the drowsy FUNNY PEOPLE a few years back, and the second time is a charm. Thanks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who shows the right amount of shocked melancholy while he suffers through chemotherapy, the prolonged breakup of his shallow girlfriend, and an impending surgery that could take his life, this is a lightweight take on a heavy subject that’s both funny and emotionally satisfying. Rogen, as Levitt’s buddy who realizes cancer is a great way to pick up on chicks, is a bit too forced into the comic relief department – almost every word spoken is meant for a laugh, and his character rarely gets an opportunity to shine past the caustic rants. Angelica Huston plays Levitt’s neurotic mother, causing stress to her ailing son, but the real depth comes from his relationship with love interest Anna Kendrick as a hospital student shrink, first using Levitt as a case study but eventually – as the two bond outside the office – falling in love. Their relationship makes the movie work, while the buddy/buddy between Rogen and Levitt give routine breaks from the serious underbelly. And as breezy soundtrack tunes provide an out before things get morose, and drugs (both medicinal and recreational) turn gloomy roads into shiny avenues way too easily, it’s Levitt alone, whose character is brooding even before the diagnosis, that makes even the filler moments work: he really seems to be facing a grave future while trying to beat those 50/50 odds.
Labels:
comedy,
drama,
dramedy,
joseph gordon-levitt,
seth rogen,
tens
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
All Time Popular
-
Robyn Hilton enters into an eclectic exploitation comedy career in Wonder Women circa 1973 As mentioned a few posts ago, ROBYN HILTON, b...
-
year: 1978 cast: Allen Garfield, Leif Garrett, Kathleen Lloyd, Tony Alva, Pam Kenneally rating: ***1/2 Although promoted as a Leif Garr...
-
Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...
-
Kari Michaelsen in Saturday the 14th year: 1982 In LOVE AT FIRST BITE, a popular comedy that took the vampire genre by satire, Richard ...
-
Robyn Hilton on STARSKY AND HUTCH Model/Actress ROBYN HILTON played Mel Brook's secretary in BLAZING SADDLES and turns up in an epis...
-
Cornelia Sharpe in BUSTING Year: 1974 Rating: **** Starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as determined vice cops BUSTING hookers, makin...
-
Kerri Green and John Candy in SUMMER RENTAL Year: 1985 John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controller ...
-
WILLIAM SMITH AS FALCONETTI ON RICH MAN POOR MAN The baddest of all TV bad guys… Matt Dillon’s character in BEAUTIFUL GIRLS calls Antho...
-
Robyn Hilton in Video Vixens the same year as Blazing Saddles: 1974 The Anthology of Comedic Parodies, already done in several Woody All...
-
Susan Dey in Skyjacked YEAR: 1972 Some of the best elements of hijacking, plane crashing, ship sinking, building burning or any other di...
Featured Post
EDMOND O'BRIEN KILLS THE BAD COP NOIR 'SHIELD FOR MURDER'
Title: SHIELD FOR MURDERYear of Capture & Release: 1954 Bullet Holes: **** By the time this SHIELD FOR MURDER hit theaters, Edmond O...

No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.