Best Odds
Director: Jonathan Levine
Writers: Will Reiser
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Serge Houde
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Serge Houde
SYNOPSIS: When 27-year-old Adam learns that he has cancer, he and his friend Kyle struggle to come to terms and to deal with Adam's disease.
REVIEW: Jonathan Levine, director of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner and Grand Jury Prize nominee The Wackness, takes a script from relative newcomer writer Will Reiser of the real life story of a 27-year-old diagnosed with cancer and his journey his life takes after hearing the news.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days of Summer, The Lookout) takes on the role of Adam Lerner, a young man with his whole life ahead of him whose life is thrown into disarray after being diagnosed with cancer. Adam attempts to comes to grips with the disease and its effect on his future, enduring the aid of his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen - Knocked Up, The Green Hornet) and a young therapist Katherine McKay (Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) who Adam believes knows less about life and his situation than he does. From Adam's father Richard (Serge Houde) battling Alzheimers, to Adam's mother Diane (Anjelica Huston) dealing with a spouse she cannot talk to and a son who does not want to talk to her, to Adam's artist girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) suffering with a man she may not care for, everyone around Adam is affected by his affliction.
50/50 is a funny and dramatic look at a man's battles with his family and friends, and the betrayal of his body at such an early age. Rachael feels trapped with responsibility, Katherine finds herself inadequate with her novice advice, and Kyle sees Adam's cancer as an opportunity to pick up girls. The decision to shave his own head with Kyle's suspect hair clippers manages to capture both humor and humanity, while a marijuana sharing discussion with stage 4 cancer pal Mitch's (Matt Frewer) home leads to a tender moment between him and is wife. Alan (Philip Baker Hall) joins Mitch as fellow chemotherapy recliner rider.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves again that he's got the right stuff. Stoic and serious in Inception, quirky and smart in 500 Days of Summer, and venturing into action suspense territory in the upcoming bicycle messenger thriller Premium Rush, Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from NBCs Third Rock From The Sun. Seth Rogen brings his typical goofy, slacker charm to the role of Kyle, just dampening the performance down enough to fit the tone of the film. Anna Kendrick as therapist Katherine brings intimacy and care to her new patient with every calculated, learned touch, knowing that a pat on the arm should work according to her studies.
In 50/50, the dramatic pace builds slowly, even though the diagnosis is quickly learned. The laughter comes from the situations that Kyle managed to talk Adam into. As the situation becomes more serious and dire, the laughs come more easily, serving as a catharsis for the uncertainties Adam faces. In the case of this movie the odds are that you will find a good balance of fun and drama, probably 50/50.
WORTH: Matinee or DVD
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days of Summer, The Lookout) takes on the role of Adam Lerner, a young man with his whole life ahead of him whose life is thrown into disarray after being diagnosed with cancer. Adam attempts to comes to grips with the disease and its effect on his future, enduring the aid of his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen - Knocked Up, The Green Hornet) and a young therapist Katherine McKay (Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) who Adam believes knows less about life and his situation than he does. From Adam's father Richard (Serge Houde) battling Alzheimers, to Adam's mother Diane (Anjelica Huston) dealing with a spouse she cannot talk to and a son who does not want to talk to her, to Adam's artist girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) suffering with a man she may not care for, everyone around Adam is affected by his affliction.
50/50 is a funny and dramatic look at a man's battles with his family and friends, and the betrayal of his body at such an early age. Rachael feels trapped with responsibility, Katherine finds herself inadequate with her novice advice, and Kyle sees Adam's cancer as an opportunity to pick up girls. The decision to shave his own head with Kyle's suspect hair clippers manages to capture both humor and humanity, while a marijuana sharing discussion with stage 4 cancer pal Mitch's (Matt Frewer) home leads to a tender moment between him and is wife. Alan (Philip Baker Hall) joins Mitch as fellow chemotherapy recliner rider.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves again that he's got the right stuff. Stoic and serious in Inception, quirky and smart in 500 Days of Summer, and venturing into action suspense territory in the upcoming bicycle messenger thriller Premium Rush, Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from NBCs Third Rock From The Sun. Seth Rogen brings his typical goofy, slacker charm to the role of Kyle, just dampening the performance down enough to fit the tone of the film. Anna Kendrick as therapist Katherine brings intimacy and care to her new patient with every calculated, learned touch, knowing that a pat on the arm should work according to her studies.
In 50/50, the dramatic pace builds slowly, even though the diagnosis is quickly learned. The laughter comes from the situations that Kyle managed to talk Adam into. As the situation becomes more serious and dire, the laughs come more easily, serving as a catharsis for the uncertainties Adam faces. In the case of this movie the odds are that you will find a good balance of fun and drama, probably 50/50.
WORTH: Matinee or DVD
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