50/50 Film Review: Cancer Comedy That Somehow Works

Released for review at an appropriate time during Movember, cancer comedy 50/50 will make you laugh and may well make you cry. You did read that right: it is a cancer comedy. And although mixing the two might initially sound like madness, 50/50 manages to pull it off, creating an emotional ride that keeps your head above the darker waters with the kind of low-key humour that suits its sombre subject perfectly.

Personally, I didn’t cry, but then I am an Englishman, and we are famously reserved about these things people call “emotions”.

The film follows the ups and downs of Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a 24-year-old man diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. His chances of survival are, as the title suggests, 50/50.

Adam is only just beginning the prime of his life. He has a job he enjoys, rents a decent little house, has an artist girlfriend called Rachael, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, a shameless player of a best friend, played by Seth Rogen, an overbearing mother, played by Anjelica Huston, an ill father, an insensitive doctor, and a rookie therapist, played by Anna Kendrick.

After suffering from back pain, a trip to the doctor brings the horrifying news that he has cancer. From there, the film follows Adam through chemotherapy and surgery, while tracking his relationships with friends, family, girlfriend and therapist. All the way through, it reminds us that cancer is an unpredictable disease that can, despite our best efforts, affect any one of us.

The film was written by Will Reiser, based partly on his own experience of overcoming cancer as a young man, and produced by co-star Seth Rogen. But this is not the kind of broad comedy you might expect from a Rogen film. The characters are believable, understated and grounded, and the humour never feels forced.

Instead, it arrives at precisely the right moments, reminding you that, amid all the sadness, confusion and uncertainty, there can still be room for laughter. Whether it’s the botched head-shaving scene before chemotherapy, the questionable attempt to use cancer as a way to pick up women, or the pleasures of high-grade medicinal marijuana, 50/50 finds comedy without making light of the illness itself.

In fact, without humour, making it through such trying times would be near impossible. The film understands that. More importantly, so does the script.

Reiser’s story is only partly his own, drawing also from the experiences of those around him. It makes for a harrowing tale at times, and an awkwardly emotional journey for the viewer. It is not always a comforting film to watch, but it is one worth seeing.

It will hit you hard, remind you that things could be worse, that youth should not be taken for granted, and that life is really about the moments you share with family and friends.

One thing you will definitely take away from 50/50 is a heightened awareness of cancer in men. And if Movember has not already prompted you to check yourself, this film probably will.

Preferably not there and then in the cinema, though.