50/50

A movie about life, about everyday reality, problems that need solving and about not surrendering life like it’s some stupid game of tag. 50/50 is a great movie, a brutal tear-jerker, but it was very pleasant to watch. Especially because of the actors who were being just the way I want to know them; being true to themselves and distinctive. Everything in this movie was the right fit and once again, I was able to watch a movie that results in a tremendous joy of life. And that’ll really lift your spirits… (15/11/2012)

Some situations in life are simply not easy. You can run, not smoke, eat fairly healthy, but it still won't save you from cancer. This bitch just appears in anyone's life, she's not exactly picky. When Adam, a young man, finds out he has cancer, he is quite surprised. On the other hand, we must realize one crucial thing - the main characters in the movie are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, especially the latter is not someone who plays in fundamentally dramatic films. Is it possible to approach the diagnosis of cancer humorously, or at least with a smile? More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/5050-2011-70.html (13/02/2013)

When life writes powerful stories, it looks at them itself. Seth Rogen did very well persuading his friend to write the screenplay and just as well when he took on his best role yet. Although we had seen him as a goofball before and after, he found his ideal fit in the melancholic comedy where humanity shines alongside uncompromising lines. And because few people are better guides to real-life comedies than Joseph Gordon-Levitt, there is nothing left but to smile contentedly, wipe away a hidden tear, and say one thing. Life. Is. Good. (31/01/2012)

I didn’t know very well what I was getting into, I took a cursory look at the film's profile and, judging by the poster, I expected it to be another comedy with a chatty Rogen, though exceptionally well-received. I was wrong, very wrong. 50/50 is a real-life story that portrays a more or less realistic main character who has to deal with a serious illness and a challenging treatment that will change his life fundamentally. At times the narrative is quite depressing and poignant, but fortunately also pleasantly funny, unpretentious, and very personal and smart thanks to Levitt's performance. Unlike most, I didn't mind the foul-mouthed Rogen, who on the contrary brought the same freshness to the film as he did to his sick friend. It's a weird film, there are some really funny and light-hearted moments, but when you realize what's actually going on and how things will turn out, the laughter comes out a bit hard. But on the other hand, the expected happy ending finally hits us so hard that we want to jump out of our chairs, give our emotions free rein; we want to live. And this is exactly what this film is about. 80% (28/01/2013)

Cliched, civil comedy/drama at it's purest. Functional on both counts, though I'd be happy to welcome Gordon-Levitt back as the kind of emotionless weirdo who I wouldn't even lend a ruler to that he played so well in Brick or Inception, and Seth Rogen's humanoid portrayal of everything that would make emancipated women burn from the inside isn't exactly capable of inspiring confidence that he'd ever have sex. *SPOILER ALERT* However, I do welcome the ending, which could have been resolved (and I expected it to be) in a fashionably shitty way given the nature of the film (Adam is taken to the operating room – cut and end; the lady surgeon comes up to the parents – cut and end; alternatively, Adam dies – cut and end), but the happy ending won out. And why not, if the film wants us to relate to the main character in some way, then if we were to die in the operation, we'd have a whole different set of problems, whereas by surviving it, our lives begin anew. I'll change my rating when they diagnose me with cancer. After all, my melanomas do move a little strangely at times. Keep in touch. (28/05/2012)