’50/50′ charming story of young man’s cancer

Adam Lerner sits in his doctor’s office, tapping his feet against the floor as he waits for the doctor to come in and tell him that he hurt his back running and might need surgery to put things back in place. Instead, the doctor arrives to tell Adam that he has a rare form of spinal cancer— one with a 50/50 shot of survival. 50/50

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen

Directed by Jonathan Levine

A-

Adam Lerner sits in his doctor’s office, tapping his feet against the floor as he waits for the doctor to come in and tell him that he hurt his back running and might need surgery to put things back in place. Instead, the doctor arrives to tell Adam that he has a rare form of spinal cancer— one with a 50/50 shot of survival.

And so we arrive at the crux of “50/50,” a story about a 27-year-old cancer patient who bites his nails and can’t drive. The film, directed by Jonathan Levine and based loosely on screenwriter Will Reiser’s own experience with cancer, takes a lighthearted and almost-comedic approach to the leading cause of death in the United States. While there’s nothing funny about an actual cancer diagnosis, the film manages to be emotional without veering into “Terms of Endearment” levels of sappiness.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, and while the part was originally written for James McAvoy, it might as well have been written for him. Gordon-Levitt is charmingly awkward as always, grinning sheepishly and joking his way through his character’s initial diagnosis. But when things get serious, Gordon-Levitt proves that his acting isn’t limited to playing the adorable nerd college-age girls have come to love him for. On the other hand, Seth Rogen, who plays Adam’s best friend Kyle, is in top Rogen form — which isn’t saying much. While Rogen’s crass humor works for most of the film, it becomes grating after a while.

The breakout star, however, is Anna Kendrick, who plays Adam’s psychologist-in-training. She is working toward her doctorate and Adam is only her third patient. Kendrick manages to capture the excruciatingly-awkward-yet-self-important bravado of a med student, which hasn’t been done quite as well in film before now.

While the early scenes between Gordon-Levitt and Rogen are funny, they get dull after a while, as Kyle’s constant attempts to use Adam’s diagnosis to pick up girls quickly grow old. And although both Gordon-Levitt and Kendrick are well-suited for their roles, they have little on-screen chemistry. Adam’s sessions with his therapist are supposed to appear awkward, but they don’t have to be so boring.

It’s really the subtler moments in “50/50” that give the movie its heart. The scenes when Adam interacts with fellow cancer patients are sweet, yet funny. In these moments you can really see screenwriter Reiser’s personal experience with cancer shine through, but the most tear-inducing moments are between Adam and his father, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

What “50/50” does best is play on the younger generation’s fear that the rug will get pulled out from under them. Adam is a young man with a mediocre job, an overbearing mother, an annoying best friend and a cheating girlfriend, when suddenly he is faced with cancer. Younger patrons — especially those in their 20s — might appreciate the film more for its honest message.