50/50 User Reviews

50/50 centers on Adam, an almost paranoid risk-aware thirty-something with an artist girlfriend and a womanizing best friend, who learns that he has a potentially life-threatening cancer which throws his life and relationships into disarray. New relationships and old come into this melting pot of emotions to great dramatic payoff, culminating in the final do-or-die moments of his cancer treatment. Alternately a dark comedy and tragic drama, 50/50 keeps the viewer from becoming emotionally overburdened by alternating from the black to the lighthearted and back again, never distancing itself completely from the underlying problem, but rather showing Adam's life through the spectrum of his harsh treatments. Having never experienced chemotherapy or knowing loved ones who have, I can't speak as to the validity of Gordon-Levitt's portrayal here, but it does tacitly balance the maudlin and the upbeat well, presenting interesting characters all around and creating a solid emotional payoff for the climax: Whatever that might be.