Jonathan Levine’s previous film before “50/50” was a 2008 film called “The Wackness” and it is an underrated gem.  So I was excited for this movie because of Levine directing and the fact that this film has an impressive cast. So upon seeing the picture I can say that “50/50” is an excellent film that is filled with smart comedy, heartfelt drama and an all-star cast giving some great performances.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam Lerner. He is a young happy man with a good job, a good best friend and a girlfriend. Everything is going well, until one day he goes to the doctors after constant pains in his back. It is at the doctors where he receives the shock of his life……….he has cancer. The type of cancer is actually a rare form of cancer and his odds of survival are 50% or 50/50 (hence the title).  He breaks the shocking news to his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogan) and he decides to stick by his side and help him through the treatment.  Bryce Dallas Howard plays Adam’s girlfriend Rachael who is unprepared for this new drastic change in her life. Adam also breaks the news to his overprotective mother Diane and she is played by Anjelica Huston.  She is overcome with shock.  Her husband having Alzheimer’s disease and her son now has cancer. She is saddened and overprotective.

Since his diagnosis, Adam begins to see a therapist to deal with his problems and stress of cancer. The therapist is a 24 year old who is young and new at her job. Her name is Katie and she is played by Anna Kendrick.  The film than chronicles the life of Adam with cancer as he goes through chemotherapy and his cancer affects his friends and family.

This film is actually based off of Seth Rogan’s real life best friend Will Reiser (who also wrote the film). He was diagnosed with cancer and the film shows how he dealt with it and how Seth Rogan helped him through it.

Having a movie centered on cancer with some comedy elements is an off-beat idea because cancer isn’t something to really laugh at. However, director Jonathan Levine is smart in how to handle the comedy and it actually works. The comedy’s purpose is to provide comic relief due to the fact that there are some depressing moments in this film and there are some very funny moments in this film. This film has some of the best jokes in comedy film that have seen this year. Sometimes the comedy is crude and vulgar (which is typical in a film starring Seth Rogan), but most of the time the comedy isn’t really that crude. It is smart and the time they deliver it is perfect.

One of the film’s main strength is the balance of comedy and drama. Director Jonathan Levine does an outstanding job finding the right tone of the film to make it realistic. As I mentioned there is comedy scattered throughout the film, but the comedy doesn’t go overboard so we audience don’t lose sight in the seriousness of the film. The film also doesn’t go overboard on the drama either to it seem overly melodramatic and make it feel too depressing. It finds the right touch of drama to make it heart-felt and moving. It goes back and forth between comedy and drama so well that it feels realistic.

The performances by the all-star cast also add to the authenticity and effectiveness of the movie. Bryce Dallas Howard must have a thing for play mean women because, just like in “The Help”, she is unlikable. If you have seen “The Help” then you would know how unlikable she was, but that was ok because she was suppose to be unlikable. She is no different in this film, but then again it is ok. The more unlikable they are, the better the performance.  We also get some good standout performances from veteran actors such Phillip Baker Hall and Anjelica Huston. Hall plays Alan who is also a cancer patient who befriends Adam during his treatment. Anjelica Huston also gives a memorable performance despite her short screen time. She is in about four scenes and she is excellent in all of them. Even though she is supposed to play the clichéd overprotective mother, she takes that role and turns it into something memorable.

Anna Kendrick also gives a very good performance as Adam’s therapist. I first saw Kendrick in Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air” from two years ago. I was a big fan of that film and her performance and I knew she was something special.  You tell that she is nervous because she is new and young. She wants to succeed and help Adam in his time of need. Seth Rogan gives one his best comedic and dramatic performance as Adam’s best friend Kyle. He is willing to do whatever he can do to help his friend. Rogan provides most of the film’s comedic touch and he delivers some very funny lines.  He also delivers a good serious and dramatic performance.  He be the funniest character on-screen, but then because one of the most serious people on screen. It really is one of his better performances.

Even with all the great performances by the supporting cast, the film really belongs to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the cancer patient Adam.  It is one of Levitt’s best performances, because he is very convincing in a challenging role. Playing a cancer patient is, in my opinion, one of the hardest roles an actor can play. He amazingly pulls off the role very convincingly.  He gets all the emotions right. Such as the scene when he first learns about his cancer. Just by his body language alone, you can feel his sympathy. The news is straight out of the blue and he doesn’t know how to react except with silence as if saying “Why Me”? He has excellent chemistry with the supporting cast and that makes it all the more realistic. He also provides some of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the film. There are two scenes in particular that stayed with me long after the film was over. He is extremely good and affecting in this picture and it proves how good an actor he really is.

“50/50” has the power to make you laugh and to make you cry. The movie really is that funny and that powerful. It takes a serious subject and makes it realistic. It covers honest themes such as the effects it has on family, friends, and yourself. How comedy can really help a person in need (Isn’t laughter the best medicine?) It also shows how you should cherish life. “50/50” is funny and affective film filled with the right balance of clever comedy and heartfelt drama with great performances from the entire cast. It is because of those elements that make “50/50” one of the year’s best films.

***1/2|R| 100 Minutes.