Before I get started on this review I have to let you know about the Cinemark that my wife and I saw this movie in. We were in Salt Lake for the evening and went to the Draper Cinemark off of I-15 and 123rd South. It was outstanding. If you are in the area and looking for a theater I can't recommend it enough. It features Cinemark's "NextGen" technology, which from what I can tell means a giant screen (I mean... GIANT), plush leather seats, and a giant lobby. I can't recommend it enough.

With that out of the way let's talk about 50/50.

Adam is a man in his mid-20's living in Seattle and working in public radio. He doesn't drive because it is the 5th most common cause of death. He doesn't smoke or drink for obvious reasons, and he even recycles.

Kyle is Adam's best friend. He enjoys nothing more than going to a local bar, having a few drinks, and trying to get the first willing girl to go home with him.

Apparently opposites attract.

50/50 is a story about friendship and battling through some of life's biggest challenges. When Adam is diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer in his spine, he has very few people to turn to for help. He has a girlfriend who is there in the beginning but quickly finds this challenge to be a little much for her. His mother who admits to smothering him out of love, has her hands full with a husband battling Alzheimer's disease. He soon realizes that his best friend might just be the only person he has to turn to.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen do an unbelievable job in this film playing best friends with very opposite life styles. Rogen's character provides the perfect amount of humor to lighten the mood throughout the film. Throw in a healthy mix of one of the most underrated young actresses in Hollywood, Anna Kendrick, and you've got yourself a winner.

There are scenes throughout the film that will make you laugh, and some that will make you want to cry. It seems to have the perfect balance of both emotions, and Jonathan Levine did a fantastic job of directing, and knowing preciously when to sprinkle either of them in.

50/50 is a film that will make you feel good as you leave the theater. Those are odds that I will take every time.


50/50
Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Written by: Will Reiser
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anna Kendrick
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Would Gene Pick it?: Yes