Review: 50/50

My mother and I just returned home a few minutes ago after seeing the movie 50/50, which stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Seth Rogen.

For those who might not be familiar with the film, Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a 27 year-old, named Adam, who has just found out that he has a rare form of spinal cancer, and that his chances of survival are 50/50. Seth Rogen plays Kyle, a close friend of Adam's who tries to find the lighter side of the disease. Together, they go through the ups and downs, whether that's dealing with chemo, the passing of one of Adam's chemo group friends, or trying to find Adam a girl who isn't going to cheat on him because the disease is too much to handle.

My mum and I wanted to see this movie not only for the fact that it looked worth while (which it was), but also because my 8 year-old cousin has leukemia. Rogen's character in the movie did what so many people who are affected by cancer have difficulty doing: finding the funny. Why cry when you can find something positive to laugh about? That being said, the point of the film wasn't to make cancer humourous, and make a joke of it, or at least not to me.  It was to take some of the stress of the disease away, and for anyone who might not know much about it, give a bit of an education, even if it was minor.

Overall, 50/50 was a good film. Yes, it showed the serious side of the disease, but it also lightened it up for those who might be in the depths of dispair about cancer. Kyle said to Adam, "if you were a casino game, you'd have the best odds." The odds might not always be our favour, but for this film, they certainly were.

Related post: "Child Cancer Sucks!" can be found under September.