50/50

Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with cancer and must navigate the road to recovery with assistance from his lad of a best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) and his therapist Katherine (played by Anna Kendrick), who happens to be new to her role as a therapist, alongside his overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston).

“These are really good.  How strong are they?”

Balancing the world he knows with the world he doesn’t – Adam discovers a kinship in his disease with fellow sufferers, Mitch and Alan (Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall) who offer him their own form of therapy.

With a 50% chance of survival and a close circle of friends, old and new, Adam sets out to beat the odds.

“You’re not joking.”

Based on a true story, 50/50 has a superb cast – Gordon-Levitt lights up the screen wherever he goes, Rogen may not be too far away from familiar territory thought breathes life and likeability into Adam’s crude best friend, whilst Kendrick and Huston are wonderful on screen.

Cancer will always be a sensitive subject – it destroys lives, not just for the victim, but for those around them – but 50/50 handles it in a humane, honest and humorous way as we follow Adam on his journey and the highs and the lows.

Will Reiser’s script, based on his own story and encouraged by the support of Seth Rogen, gives us a film described as a comedy.  It certainly has its laugh out loud moments, though is more of a lighthearted drama and is never overly sentimental.

Without a doubt, this is Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s film, once more proving that he’s one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation.

A powerhouse of a film that deals with its subject in an open way, 50/50 is highly recommended.

 

This Is The End

The End of Days approaches and the celebrities of Hollywood are ill prepared for the chaos that ensures.  Thankfully, Hollywood’s modern day Brat Pack are spared, but must fight their way through the final days of the world.

Playing exaggerated versions of themselves, Seth Rogen (and his sensible friend, Jay Baruchel), James Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson must fend themselves, totally unprepared for real life, let alone the events that transpire.

“I don’t want to die at James Franco’s house.”

The overly artsy Franco, a far too nice Jonah Hill, the reliable friend-t-all Rogen and the sensitive Robinson form a wonderful cast of characters.  Save for Baruchel, the principle cast are deliberately dislikeable, playing on their lack of real world experience and over-sensitive reactions to everything that goes on around them as they try to survive the apocalypse, boredom and fracturing friendships, especially when the arrogant Danny McBride joins the fray.

“You guys act like you’re so high and mighty.”

The film could have been a self-indulgent mess, designed to rub the ego of it’s young, popular cast, but it manages to be highly entertaining.  It’s self-deprecation at its finest, showing Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s skill as writers, whilst also showcasing the cast.

There’s a touch of Shaun of the Dead in This is the End, a knowing, self-deprecating script, comfortable with its cast and not afraid to take a few pot shots.  It revels in its silliness and excels in the story it tells.