50/50: I'm more than just my cancer

Title: 50/50

Director: Jonathan Levine

Writer: Will Reiser

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick

Grade: A

Synopsis: A 27-year old man struggles with the diagnosis that he has cancer.

Good Movie For: Anyone really. 

So now that you know my love of Mr. JGL it's not too surprising why I choose to watch this movie. Everyone knows that I'm slightly obsessed with him, so whenever something JGL-y pops up, my family and friends automatically send it to me. (Hence why I got 7 different messages the day he made a duet with Zooey Deschanel) So when 50/50 came out, everyone told me to watch it. I was itching to watch it in theaters, but I never got the chance. So once it came out on DVD I quickly snagged it.

Everyone told me to prepare for the waterworks. Typically I'm a pretty emotional person, so I expected to shed a couple (lot) of tears. I laughed, I cried, then sobbed uncontrollably, but overall the movie left me with an extremely big smile on my face. Not just because I got to spend 2 hours gawking at JGL, but because the movie was really that good. 

50/50 is definitely an interesting take on cancer. Yea, that's the main bulk of the journey, but the movie is so much more than just a movie dealing with a man who has cancer. It centers on the different relationships that occur between this man and the people close to him. From his seemingly uncaring best friend to his overbearing mother to his too young therapist, the relationships in this movie is what helps to propel it away from others that have touched this topic.

Probably one of the most compelling things that stood out to me production wise was the timing of the beats that were hit in the story. From the big bad news to the first indication of love, the beats of the story line helped me to continue on further. An aspect that this script nazi was quite thankful for. This is also a prime example of the screenwriting notion "Write what you know". Reiser actually was diagnosed with cancer, and Seth Rogen is one of his best friends. I'm sure that not all of the events in the movie are completely factual, but Reiser took a real instance in his life and transformed it for the big screen. Write what you're familiar about, but don't leave in all of the mundane and boring details. 

This movie is much more than just a movie about cancer. You'll weep, you'll laugh, but overall it's just a down right good movie.

Uncertainty: Make up your damn mind!

Title: Uncertainty

Director: Scott McGehee, David Seigel

Writer: Scott McGehee, David Siegel

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lynn Collins

Grade: C

Synopsis: The flip of a coin sends a couple into two extremely opposite outcomes on a hot July 4th day.

Good Movie For: JGL lovers

If you look at the screen saver to my phone, you will instantly know why I watched this movie. I've been a JGL-er since his long haired days as Tommy on 3rd Rock from the Sun. I really should stop picking my movie choices based on my infatuation for the lead actor, but hey, you need a little eye candy to help you get through an excruciating two hours. Not that watching this movie was excruciating. It did have many high points, but yet again it did have many low points. 

I think one of the many reason why I love JGL is the fact that he has been able to blossom from a child actor into an amazing adult actor (that kind of sounds like he's a porn star. Adult Actor). Anyway, I personally think that he strives best in romances. I mean don't get me wrong, I loved all the room tilting in Inception, but one flash of those deep set dimples and you continue to believe that he is truly in love with his co-star. The boy could make a romance with a lamp post believable. That being said, the chemistry in this movie between Gordon-Levitt and Collins just seems off. It seems extremely forced. Not necessarily an uncomfortable forced, but a let's touch and hold hands and kiss a lot so the audience remembers that we love each other.

Another nit-picky thing that I observed was the presence of a lot of filler and useless dialog. "Is he dead?" Of course he's dead. You just saw 6 bullets penetrate his back. He'll survive. Sure. At times it felt as if Gordon-Levitt was consoling a child rather than his girlfriend.

All knockdowns aside, the dual story aspect is an interesting take. While one storyline is steeped in drama, the other stenches of action. It certainly makes you think about the decisions you make in your life. What would have happened if I had taken that road, walked that path, or crossed that bridge. Overall, it was a decent movie.