50/50

So I had been wanting to see this for forever but honestly I'd been kind of dreading it because I didn't want to think about the existential ideas in the movie. Alas, I caved and finally saw it and thank goodness I did. The movie has made about $39 million so far on a budget of about $8 million.

The movie is about a young twenty-something guy who is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer and it's inspired from the real-life events of screenwriter, Wil Reiser. Joseph-Gordon Levitt plays the main character and Seth Rogan plays his best friend. Bryce Dallas Howard plays his girlfriend, Angelica Huston is the mother, and Anna Kendrick is the worst therapist in the world.

This was an extremely well written script. It found humor in such a tragic setting. Even with all of the improvisation on set, the dialogue and script are just fantastic. You really feel like you're a part of the secret cancer society that you don't think much about until your life is affected by it. I think that when dealing with such a touchy subject matter, it can either come out fantastic or just horrible. Luckily, it was awesome in this case. The characters were very well written and displayed different emotions and dynamics all around.

The cinematography and film used on this movie were superb. The scenes were framed and colored beautifully. The soundtrack was perfect and in the right spots. The characters were given time to develop and interact with each other. This is the way movies should be made (I'm referring to the $8 million budget). When you spend the focus on cinematography, scripts, and actors you get a much better result and you don't need multi million dollar budgets, but I digress.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt was simply awesome (as always). They actually had first cast James McAvoy, whom I also adore, but I really think JGL was perfect for the role. I especially loved the scenes with Anna Kendrick and JGL. They were awkwardly funny and I enjoyed their dynamic. Seth Rogen was Seth Rogen. I would've liked to see some dramatic scenes from him, but I'm just being picky now. Angelica Huston was very great but I wouldn't have expected any less. Bryce Dallas Howard is proving to be a pretty good character actress. I definitely had my doubts from her Victoria portrayal but when you compare it with her character in The Help, she's really becoming these different characters.

In the end, this was a great movie. It gives you a great outlook on life. I'd recommend watching this movie once you've settled down for the evening. It's one of those that makes you reflect afterwards. I'm not a fan of illness or sick children movies, but I did great with this one. "Nobody is going to f*** me, I look like Voldemort".