50/50 Information

50/50 is a 2011 American drama directed by Jonathan Levine, from a screenplay written by Will Reiser, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen. The film is loosely inspired by Reiser's own experience with cancer. The film received positive feedback from critics, and was a success at the box office, earning $39.2 million against an $8 million budget.

Plot

Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a 27-year-old public radio journalist with an artist girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), of whom his best friend and co-worker Kyle (Seth Rogen) disapproves.

After experiencing harsh pains in his back, Adam learns from his doctor that he has schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma (a malignant tumor) in his spine, and must undergo chemotherapy. He sees on the Internet that his chances of survival are fifty-fifty. After Adam reveals his diagnosis, his overbearing mother, Diane (Anjelica Huston), who already cares for a husband suffering from Alzheimer's, wants to move in and care for him. Adam rejects this offer, as Rachael has promised to be the one to take care of him. Rachael, however, is "uncomfortable" going into the hospital during Adam's chemo treatments. Later, Kyle sees Rachael kissing another man at an art gallery, and tells Adam that Rachael is cheating on him. Adam and Rachael break up. Throughout Adam's struggle, Kyle attempts to keep Adam's spirits high, which include helping Adam shave his head prior to chemotherapy and suggesting that Adam use his illness as a way to pick up women.

Meanwhile, Adam skeptically begins going to a young and inexperienced therapist, Katherine McKay (Anna Kendrick), at the hospital. Although their relationship and sessions have a rocky start, he slowly begins to open up to her about his disease and how it is affecting him. The two develop a rapport both in and outside of their sessions, as the lines between doctor-patient and friends begins to blur. She helps Adam understand his mother's situation as well. During chemo treatments, Adam also befriends Alan (Philip Baker Hall) and Mitch (Matt Frewer), two older cancer patients who are also undergoing chemotherapy.

After Mitch suddenly dies, Adam's fears become more evident upon hearing that his treatment is not working and that he needs to undertake a risky surgery as a last resort. The night before his surgery, Adam has an argument with Kyle and demands to drive Kyle's car because Kyle is drunk"?even though Adam does not have a driver's license. After nearly causing an accident, Adam breaks down and criticises Kyle for seemingly not taking his illness seriously. Adam calls Katherine and tells her that he wishes he had a girlfriend like her, but also says he is tired and just wants it to be over. That night, Adam stays at Kyle's and finds a book on surviving cancer, filled with notes and annotations, proving that Kyle does care for Adam and is worried for him.

The next day as Kyle drops Adam off at the hospital, Adam embraces Kyle for being a good friend and apologizing for what he said the previous night. As Adam says what could be his final farewells to his family (including telling his father that despite his Alzheimer's, he loves him), he undergoes his surgery. After the surgery, Kyle, Diane, and Katherine are told by the doctor that although the bone degradation was worse than they had thought, the tumor was successfully removed and Adam should recover.

Some time later, Adam is getting ready for a date, with Kyle encouraging him and cleaning the incision on Adam's back from the surgery. The doorbell rings and Adam lets Katherine inside as Kyle leaves. Katherine asks, "Now what?" and Adam simply smiles.

Cast

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam Lerner
• Seth Rogen as Kyle Hirons
• Anna Kendrick as Katherine McKay
• Bryce Dallas Howard as Rachael
• Anjelica Huston as Diane Lerner
• Serge Houde as Richard Lerner
• Andrew Airlie as Dr. Ross
• Matt Frewer as Mitch Barnett
• Philip Baker Hall as Alan Lombardo
• Donna Yamamoto as Dr. Walderson
• Sugar Lyn Beard as Susan
• Yee Jee Tso as Dr. Lee
• Sarah Smyth as Jenny
• Peter Kelamis as Phil
• Jessica Parker Kennedy as Jackie
• Daniel Bacon as Dr. Phillips
• P. Lynn Johnson as Bernie
• Laura Bertram as Claire
• Matty Finochio as Ted
• Veena Sood as Nurse Stewart

Development and production

The screenplay is loosely based on the experience of screenwriter Will Reiser, friend of the film's co-lead, Seth Rogen. Reiser is also close with Evan Goldberg of Da Ali G Show. The film was originally going to be called I'm with Cancer before it was announced that this was a working title. The film was later renamed Live with It and then 50/50.

James McAvoy was originally going to play the lead role before he left the film due to personal reasons, as he was afraid of missing the birth of his first child, and was replaced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Principal photography was scheduled from February 22, 2010 to March 31, 2010. The film was mostly filmed in Richmond and Vancouver, British Columbia as well as Seattle, Washington.

The head-shaving scene in the film was featured on the movie posters and commercials. At the 50/50 premiere in New York, Gordon-Levitt said, "We only had one take because you can't shave your head twice." Rogen recalled, "It was the first day of filming, and we improvised the whole thing, which is not wise when it's something you have one take for, but it turned out funny."

Reception

Critical response

50/50 received mainly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 93% of 180 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.6 out of 10. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 72 based on 42 reviews, with the general consensus being "A good-hearted film about a difficult topic, 50/50 maneuvers between jokes and drama with surprising finesse".

Sean Burns wrote in the Philadelphia Weekly that Levine "knows how to stay out of the way long enough to let a very talented cast shine, and Rogen's fundamental, unexpected decency, which can often only be expressed through shoulder-punching obscenities, grows more quietly moving as the picture wears on."

David Schmader, writing in the Stranger, praises "50/50s stellar cast, from the omnipresent lead Joseph Gordon-Levitt (whose Rankin/Bass puppet face is put to beautifully nuanced use) to the all-star supporting cast: Anjelica Huston roars back to prominence with a twisty performance as Adam's barely contained mess of a mom, and Anna Kendrick's young doctoral student makes the film's rom-com aspirations not-ridiculous with her intelligent spontaneity and huge cute teeth. But the comedy star is Seth Rogen, cast in the same role he played in screenwriter Reiser's life."

Accolades

The film was nominated for two awards at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. Gordon-Levitt received a nomination for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) and the film itself was nominated for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy).

Top ten lists

The film was included in the following top ten lists for the best films of 2011:

Publication	Rank
Arizona Republic	3
The Boston Globe	2
Boxoffice	7
MTV	8
Daily News	9
New York Post	10
/Film	5
Tampa Bay Times	5
TV Guide	8
USA Today	N/A

Home media

50/50 was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America on January 24, 2012. Both releases include commentary, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes videos.