Movies worth seeing - 50/50

[JasonEvans]

I don’t care who you are or what kind of films you like – go see 50-50!

It is a great combination of humor and a really powerful emotional story. It is not a perfect film, probably not a serious Oscar contender, but it is a really exception film and one that I think anyone will appreciate.

As you probably know this is the story of a young man (played brilliantly by Joseph Gordon Levitt) who is diagnosed with a pretty deadly form of cancer. The film is about how he gets through it – often with the help of his best friend (Seth Rogen). It is not a true story, but the screenwriter is a cancer survivor and based a lot of the movie on his own experiences. It has a real air of authenticity to it as a result.

Any film with Seth Rogen is going to have raunchy comedy – and there are a lot of very crude jokes about sex and a lot of cursing - but this is a perfect kind of role for Rogen. I think he struggles when he carries a movie, but he can be very funny and also heartwarming in smaller doses. Put him in a supporting role like this, and he shines. He and JGL are impressive together, great chemistry. You believe they are best friends and really care about each other.

JGL is amazing. He’s the core of the film. I'll be shocked if he is not a strong contender to win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy. He made the fabulous 500 Days of Summer and then Inception last year. He’s in Dark Knight Rises next summer. JGL is on his way to becoming a big star, I think. He's also the star of a film coming in January called Premium Rush that looks kinda decent. In this film, he gives a wonderfully understated performance. The script does not call upon him to go crazy with grief and anger as he deals with cancer. He is largely quiet and pensive and often depressed about it. Playing it withdrawn and quiet is not an easy way to make an audience care about a character. JGL pulls it off.
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Anna Kendrick, from Up In The Air, plays a student therapist trying to help JGL. She's ok, but is one of the weaker points in the film. It is not really her fault as I think the role is somewhat uneven and hard for the audience to understand. She is pretty ineffective as a therapist and her scenes with JGL lacked chemistry for the first half of the film. I think the movie would have been better served if she was a nurse instead of a shrink.

Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron’s daughter, plays JGL’s girlfriend who is just not a good person. Howard is a beautiful lady and a fine actress, but she is somehow becoming typecast as a really ugly (on the inside) person. She’s been the villain in 2 of the best movies of the year now because she played the evil housewife in The Help. She better be careful or she is never going to be able to play someone nice

There are a few other nice supporting performances -- including Angelica Houston as JGL's mom and Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall as a couple fellow cancer patients. They are particularly good and feature in some of the movies most heartwarming scenes.

The movie takes you from laughing hysterically to crying in very quick beats… but does not feel uneven. There was a packed house at the screening I attended and they were all laughing and crying at the right times. When the movie ended, the crowd broke into applause and a lot of folks stayed in their seats watching the credits in appreciation rather than the typical rush to the exits.
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There are a few slow parts and it is not always completely comfortable dealing with something as depressing as cancer. But those moments pass quickly enough. I also want to issue my "raunchy" warning again -- Rogen does not pull any punches, he never does, so if foul language or talk of sex bothers you a lot, you may want to cover your ears at times.

But, aside from those very minor warnings, my advice is GO SEE THIS FILM! I really enjoyed it, it left a smile on my face and I really wanted to talk about it after it was over... something that simply does not happen often enough if you ask me.

-Jason "now watch, it'll get beat at the boxoffice by Dream House, which was not even screened for critics and is probably a horrible mess of a film" Evans

[77devil]

JGL is amazing. He’s the core of the film. I'll be shocked if he is not a strong contender to win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy. He made the fabulous 500 Days of Summer and then Inception last year. He’s in Dark Knight Rises next summer.

Talk about opportunity knocking. JGL was not originally cast. Seth Rogen said in an interview that the film was 4 days into shooting when the original actor(name didn't register) had to leave the set for personal reasons and JGL answered the call.

As an aside, Rogen said in the same interview that during a recent meeting with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, that Lucas was dead serious about the end of the world in 2012. On the other hand, Rogen stated that he has a license to buy medical marijuana in California, and he partakes heavily practically everyday. So maybe his memory of the conversation is a little clouded.

[JasonEvans]

If you care to listen, here is the audio of my appearance on the local Atlanta Star94 radio this morning talking mostly about 50/50.

-Jason "I also mention What's Your Number, which isn't a terrible film if you love RomComs" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Talk about opportunity knocking. JGL was not originally cast. Seth Rogen said in an interview that the film was 4 days into shooting when the original actor(name didn't register) had to leave the set for personal reasons and JGL answered the call.

James McAvoy, another wonderful actor, was originally cast in the role. He had to leave due to a family emergency. It took them less than a week to get JGL a copy of the script and then on the set to start filming.

-Jason "I am just glad Rogen did not decide to take the lead for himself!" Evans