Movie Review: "50/50"
"50/50"
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
"50/50" was a fantastic film. It's a tough line to walk, making a movie truly funny while dealing with the serious and far-reaching consequences of cancer. Inspired by one of Seth Rogen's friends and their experience, this is the story of a man, Adam, diagnosed with spinal cancer at age 27, and how his family, friends, and girlfriend deal with it.
There are many strengths in this film. As a new physician, two key things resonated with me. The first was when he found out his diagnosis. After the doctor mentioned cancer, we see everything else get phased out, all the fancy jargon becoming nothing in the face of this life-altering diagnosis. I had to tell a patient in our clinic once that he had cancer, and I don't think I handled it well. I wasn't quite prepared for it, and I said it quite bluntly, as opposed to easing in the diagnosis. Even today, I'm covering a patient with fibrosarcoma, the type of cancer Adam had in this film; unfortunately, this patient's cancer was metastatic, with a poor prognosis.
The doctor here was admittedly almost a caricature of the cold, uncaring, matter-of-fact doctor. But I am guilty to doing this of some degree. You get a certain disconnect working in this profession, and empathy is hard to truly have, at least for me. Sympathy, which comes from experience, is heartfelt. Empathy, to me, is faking your best at sympathy.
Which leads to my next most relatable part. When the therapist meets him for the first time, he is both surprised and hesitant at how young she is. She tries these maneuvers we learn, like the "sea otter" slap, being by-the-books with her diagnosis, signs of a budding professional. As opposed to a seasoned veteran, who incorporates all their knowledge into an art. She was developing her art, and as someone in training now, it was well done.
You also feel badly for the character himself. The struggle, and that especially well done scene of frustration in the car before his surgery. Rogen was hilarious, and I feel they had just the right amount of him in the film, although he felt more weighted towards the middle and end. I also felt the romance was done well, and somewhat subtly.
Showing the death of one of the chemo patients was also very heartfelt and helped make the film grounded. You grow to like that character in only a few scenes, and his loss makes our character's struggle that much more realistic. And the issue with his parents, it's something I feel too when my mom worries too much, and perhaps we all do. But when his mom said she smothers him because she loves him, and he realizes that on his own, it was very nice.
Overall, a wonderful film, with a good balance of seriousness and humor. I wish a film like this would get nominated by AMPAS.
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
"50/50" was a fantastic film. It's a tough line to walk, making a movie truly funny while dealing with the serious and far-reaching consequences of cancer. Inspired by one of Seth Rogen's friends and their experience, this is the story of a man, Adam, diagnosed with spinal cancer at age 27, and how his family, friends, and girlfriend deal with it.
There are many strengths in this film. As a new physician, two key things resonated with me. The first was when he found out his diagnosis. After the doctor mentioned cancer, we see everything else get phased out, all the fancy jargon becoming nothing in the face of this life-altering diagnosis. I had to tell a patient in our clinic once that he had cancer, and I don't think I handled it well. I wasn't quite prepared for it, and I said it quite bluntly, as opposed to easing in the diagnosis. Even today, I'm covering a patient with fibrosarcoma, the type of cancer Adam had in this film; unfortunately, this patient's cancer was metastatic, with a poor prognosis.
The doctor here was admittedly almost a caricature of the cold, uncaring, matter-of-fact doctor. But I am guilty to doing this of some degree. You get a certain disconnect working in this profession, and empathy is hard to truly have, at least for me. Sympathy, which comes from experience, is heartfelt. Empathy, to me, is faking your best at sympathy.
Which leads to my next most relatable part. When the therapist meets him for the first time, he is both surprised and hesitant at how young she is. She tries these maneuvers we learn, like the "sea otter" slap, being by-the-books with her diagnosis, signs of a budding professional. As opposed to a seasoned veteran, who incorporates all their knowledge into an art. She was developing her art, and as someone in training now, it was well done.
You also feel badly for the character himself. The struggle, and that especially well done scene of frustration in the car before his surgery. Rogen was hilarious, and I feel they had just the right amount of him in the film, although he felt more weighted towards the middle and end. I also felt the romance was done well, and somewhat subtly.
Showing the death of one of the chemo patients was also very heartfelt and helped make the film grounded. You grow to like that character in only a few scenes, and his loss makes our character's struggle that much more realistic. And the issue with his parents, it's something I feel too when my mom worries too much, and perhaps we all do. But when his mom said she smothers him because she loves him, and he realizes that on his own, it was very nice.
Overall, a wonderful film, with a good balance of seriousness and humor. I wish a film like this would get nominated by AMPAS.
posted by DarthDooku at
5:22 AM
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