50/50 (2011)

          Essential plot rundown:  Adam struggles with cancer with the help of his best friend.  I really liked this film.  There is good drama with some funny moments sprinkled throughout.

          One thing I liked about 50/50 is the roundness of the characters.  Now, I'm not saying that these are super developed, fleshed-out characters.  But, they could have easily been one sided but were not.  I liked seeing how the different characters dealt with the situation in their own ways.  They are all frustrated and make mistakes.

          I thought all of the actors did a good job.  Unlike another recent movie that I saw, but didn't want to blog about, where I never believed the actors were their characters (here's looking at you, Season of the Witch) I found Joseph Gordon-Levitt and co. all believable.  I could feel what they were going through.  I have never had to deal with a situation like this, but I could related with all of the characters.

          50/50 is rated R "for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use".  And afterwards, I got thinking about the language.  I was curious as to how the film would turn out if the swearing was written out.  The constant use of the f-word isn't essential to the story, but it does add a sense of realism and frustration to the film.  I'm just curious if the film would have been the same, better or worse if it had been re-wrote to get a PG-13 rating.  But that is neither here nor there.

          Overall, it's a really good film.  It wasn't as emotionally engaging as I was anticipating.  (I didn't cry as much as I expected).  But I could feel JGL's pain as he struggled with his disease.  I would recommend it.

     But that's just my opinion...