Review: 50/50

Congratulations, Summit Entertainment. You've finally got a hit.

The studio has been desperately seeking one ever since Twilight gave them a seat at the adults table three years ago. Finally their ambition has paid off, at least critically, with the cancer dramedy 50/50.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) stars as Adam, a young man who is diagnosed with a type of spinal cancer and quickly finds out that his odds of survival are fifty percent. He begins chemotherapy, leaning on his distant girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) for support. His best friend (Seth Rogen) gives him his version of help, which basically involves using the disease for easier access to drugs and breaking the ice with girls. It seems the one thing that the characters have in common is that Adam's illness will finally cause each of them to grow up a little, whether they are ready to or not.

The main buzz surrounding this film is the strong performance given by Gordon-Levitt as Adam. Make no mistake about it, although Rogen may be a huge part of the ad campaign, this movie is all JGL. More than any other film he has starred in thus far in his career, this is his announcement to the Hollywood establishment that there is a new leading man to be reckoned with in town. Although it is early in the year to say that someone has cemented a nomination at the Academy Awards for anything, I can easily say his performance here is one of the strongest I have seen this year. Hopefully it will be remembered come February.

What really surprises me, however, is how everyone seems to be sleeping on the superb direction of Jonathan Levine. Levine, best known for the 2008 indie The Wackness, skillfully crafts a cunning piece of heady filmmaking that should be studied by any wannabes out there. There are sequences in the film that threw me for a loop, and reminded me that if you look hard enough, you can still find some original filmmakers.

What isn't original, unfortunately, is the depiction of the female characters in this flick. Howard once again basically plays Satan, even though I wanted to turn around to the audience while the film was playing and say, "But, can't you kinda see where she's coming from?" As Adam's girlfriend Rachel, she announces that she is going to take it upon herself to be his caregiver, even though they haven't been together for long and the relationship is already rocky. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that things get rockier. Howard has had a hell of a comeback year between her performances here and in The Help, but I hope she likes playing the easy target of audiences' scorn, because I'm afraid these two roles are enough for her to be typecast.

If a studio begins giving advanced screenings to build word-of-mouth for one of their films two months before the release of said movie, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise when the film turns out to be good. I know some folks are having a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea of a feel-good cancer flick, but I can't recommend 50/50 enough. Forget the disease angle; just buy a ticket for the good movie part.

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