I know. I know. My previous rant on my blog was about ridiculous film critic quotes that studios use in promoting their new films and here I am using two of them in my title here: "totally satisfying" and "laugh out loud comedy", but they both apply to 50/50 which I saw earlier today and thoroughly enjoyed.
First, a personal admission on my part: I've had a crush on Joseph Levitt-Gordon ever since I saw him in a film in which he played a young gay hustler, only to be intensified in 500 Days of Summer but nearly lost when he appeared in Inception. With 50/50, he shoots to the top of my fantasy man list with arguably his best and most likable performance to date. Written by Will Reiser and based on his actual experience of nearly dying from a Cancerous tumor in his back, the film is deftly directed by Jonathan Levine who has assembled a terrific supporting cast, starting with Seth Rogen who in real life was/is a good friend of Reiser's and portrays his best friend in the film. Rogen is letter perfect and funny as hell. Anna Kendrick as Levitt-Gordon/Reiser's inexperienced psychotherapist, Bryce Dallas Howard as his girlfriend who bales out on him after his diagnosis
and Anjelica Huston as his loving but overbearing mother are terrific and oh so human.
But it is Gordon-Levitt who makes the film such a treat. Not a false note in his funny and touching performance, the kind of accomplishment that deserves recognition at Oscar nomination time but is always overlooked because it looks so easy. Ok...ok. I'm gushing over my fantasy man.
Yes, this is a LAUGH OUT LOUD comedy. At least I did. And yes, you will LAUGH...you will CRY.
There is a moment when Gordon-Levitt is alone in bed with his dog (an aging mutt from a pet shelter forced on him by his girlfriend soon after his Cancer diagnosis) that is so touching that if you don't cry, your heart must have turned to stone somewhere between the refreshment stand in the lobby and your theatre seat.
50/50 is 100 percent entertainment. Go and enjoy.
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