50/50

[funthing29]

I have mixed feelings about this film.

It is a wonderful script, funny yet touching, and the performances are excellent but the film lacks direction. I did get emotional watching this and also found myself chucking repeatedly, but the pacing doesn't feel right in the second half. The running time is only 90 minutes long, but it felt so much longer, and was quite slow in places and some scenes dragged. The ending was not really satisfying either. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a perfect choice for Adam, and Seth Rogen is decent, which makes a nice change as he is usually rather crude and irritating. Kendrick was good too but her character was not explored that deeply. This is still a good film, and I would recommend it, but I don't think it lives up to all the hype. 7/10.

[kevinknapman]

I saw this last month and loved it. Often very funny without slipping too far in to bad taste and very moving without getting too sentimental. It has a great cast but this is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's film and he's excellent in it. He isn't some kind of saint (which can often happen in films like this), he has his flaws but he's an essentially decent person dealing with a difficult situation.
As the script is based on writer Will Reiser's own battle with cancer, it's an honest and un-Hollywood approach to the subject. My only criticism is a final scene that rings a little false but it's a minor fault and the film doesn't suffer as a result. This is easily one of my favourite films of the year.

I've already posted it on the London Film Festival thread but here's my full review again:
http://www.thefilmpilgrim.com/reviews/5050-review/5903

[Celini]

I wrote this yesterday in LFF thread

I can't really rant about everything that upset me or could have been better written without spoiling it so I'll leave it with some general comments!
Americans, love them, hate them... Why do they have to do the same movie all over again?
If I stretch it I'd give it a painful 6/10... Could have been a decent 7.5/10 though if only they had stopped it 15 minutes before the end...

but let me explain now that we have a dedicated thread (thanks Funthing!)

I think I could write an entire page (or even 2) on everything I despised in this movie, but I will spare you this and just post what I felt watching it. (don't read further as there is few spoiler... I "spoilerized" the most obvious though)

All the characters are so shallow that is difficult to feel for them; I don't know if it's a writer problem or a director problem, but please give us more informations! What are they feeling? Why are they here? What are their motivations?

Obviously Adam and Kyle are best buddies, but why? How? There was something to develop here! Only 20 minutes before the end you realise Kyle really cares about his friend and he's trying his best to support him... but why did'nt the director play this card before?

Why did they feel like they had to give Alzheimer's to Adam's dad? I am guessing to show that the mum had a miserable life dealing with her poorly husband and jerk of a son... but that failed as well! Please give me more information! I want to feel for the mother!

Why do Katherine calls herself a doctor? Why did they have to go for the obvious cliché hot doctor/hot patient relationship?

Why did they show terminal cancer patients that definitely don't look like terminal cancer patients? ok the guy is bold, but he looks rather healthy to me; he could as well have died of a car accident or marijuana overdose (is this possible? ) I am sorry, wrong casting or wrong make up!

Obviously doctors have super powers in the US, they can tell you that what's growing inside you is malignant without even having to open you! And minutes after opening you and removing few things they can assure you "you're going to be fine".... well, I want one of those, please!

[spoiler]Why, oh why did the guy survive? I have nothing against this, but they did not have to show us this... they could have just rolled down the end credits when he entered the operation room! Give the public something to reflect on please!
Why did the patient and his doctor end up boyfriend/girlfriend??? Really, why???
Bloody Americans![/spoiler]


The cast is good even though I could not stop thinking of Inception when Joseph Gordon Levitt was on screen! And the story had potential... That could have been such a great film! This is not! And in my opinion this is only because they had a bad writer or/and a bad director.
I chuckled from time to time as some lines were really priceless "That's my friend there, he's got Type 4 back cancer!". Loved it!


Edit: I may have over-analysed this movie... ignore my review and go see it

[kevinknapman]

It's made pretty clear that Adam and Kyle have been best buddies since high school (as Kyle talks about the fact that he's always had bad taste in women). Why would you need to know more than that? You also find out how much Kyle cares more than he's letting on when Adam does.

This film is based on Will Reiser's own experiences dealing with spinal cancer so I'm pretty sure the details are correct.

[spoiler]He's shown surviving because, as I said, the film is by someone writing from their own experience. I think much more people would be disappointed if there wasn't some kind of resolution. Why should showing him survive his cancer be considered typically Hollywood? Although I agree that the final scene was a little false[/spoiler]

[Sunny Saver]

..also found myself chucking repeatedly...

Am not sure I want to watch a film that makes me chuck .

[Celini]

kk, I actually need to know a bit more about the characters to feel for them... but again I have lots of troubles enjoying movies these days, so maybe I should just take a break off movies for some times

(it's actually a topic quite close to home so I am rather certain that most of the cancer bits were quite far fetched or at the least very much short-cut!)

[tilly]

I saw Anna kendrick on tv yesterday. She thought it was very true to life and that both seth rogen and will reyser could not find a film that actually portrayed this subject very well.

[McG]

kk, I actually need to know a bit more about the characters to feel for them... but again I have lots of troubles enjoying movies these days, so maybe I should just take a break off movies for some times

a break from movies?

[reddie2]

I saw this last month and loved it. Often very funny without slipping too far in to bad taste and very moving without getting too sentimental. It has a great cast but this is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's film and he's excellent in it. He isn't some kind of saint (which can often happen in films like this), he has his flaws but he's an essentially decent person dealing with a difficult situation.
As the script is based on writer Will Reiser's own battle with cancer, it's an honest and un-Hollywood approach to the subject. My only criticism is a final scene that rings a little false but it's a minor fault and the film doesn't suffer as a result. This is easily one of my favourite films of the year.

I've already posted it on the London Film Festival thread but here's my full review again:
http://www.thefilmpilgrim.com/reviews/5050-review/5903

Totally agree with your review (and really like the way you write btw ). Sometimes the final scene in a movie looks like it was changed at last moment to please the producers or whoever invested in the movie and last night I got this very feeling, although I might be wrong. First film for me at the Festival this year (15 to go) and what a way to start!

[funthing29]

I saw Anna kendrick on tv yesterday. She thought it was very true to life and that both seth rogen and will reyser could not find a film that actually portrayed this subject very well.

Anna Kendrick and Will Reiser actually introduced the film. Will Reiser said Seth Rogen is his best friend so it is more authentic than we release.

The film is witty and smart without having laugh out loud moment, which would have been inappropriate in a film like this. I wonder if some of Seth Rogen's dialogue was genuine or written for comic effect.