50/50, director Jonathan Levine's latest cinematic effort, suffers from an identity crisis. The film tries to have its cake and eat it too, as it juxtaposes silly scenes of vulgar comedy with gloomy moments of emotional intensity. Unfortunately, this method of mixing genres and creating constant tonal shifts results in a joyless mess of a film. 50/50 proves that comedy and cancer do not blend well, and that even admirable acting cannot save a movie from the morass of mediocrity. Despite its commendable cast and competent crew, Levine's film never overcomes its drab atmosphere or its scatterbrained script.
On the surface, 50/50 seems compelling, at least in terms of its plot. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam, an average Joe of sorts who maintains a steady job in public radio, a steady love life with his gorgeous girlfriend and a steady friendship with the foul-mouthed Kyle, played winningly by Seth Rogen. All in all, Adam's life is simple, and he is content. It all begins to shrivel away, however, when Adam's doctor diagnoses him with an obscure form of spinal cancer that leaves him with a 50 percent chance of survival.
As the movie proceeds, Adam must confront not only the thought of facing death at age 27, but also the fragility of some of his personal relationships, especially those with his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) and his protective mother (Anjelica Huston).
All of the film's actors perform their roles remarkably. As a leading man, Gordon-Levitt proves, yet again, to be one of his generation's finest performers. His balance of subtle humor and staggering gravitas lends at least some stability to a script that bounces around aimlessly and without apparent direction. Still, Anna Kendrick emerges as the true scene-stealer, despite a seemingly shallow role as Adam's under-qualified therapist. Kendrick's wonderful comedic timing, as well as her impressive restraint, makes her screen presence a force of nature.
Sadly, only the cast comes across effectively. Apart from some clever quips about casino games and Lord Voldemort, most of the movie's moments of broad comedy fall flat, in spite of Rogen's best efforts. Unfortunately, though, the movie's serious scenes also fail to arouse much emotion, in large part because of the air of attempted humor that surrounds them, but also on account of the script's inability to put forth tear-jerking scenes. The film actually works best when it finds a middle ground between comedy and drama. The moments between Adam and Kendrick's Katherine, for example, cleverly blend meditations on death with uncomfortable yet realistic jokes about the "touching" in which therapists engage with their patients as a means to calm them.
Ultimately, though, 50/50 has nothing to say about disease that hasn't already been tackled comedically by Woody Allen or dramatically by a Lifetime original movie. Moreover, it fails to conjure up either laughs or tears, and it wastes its terrific performances on trying - and failing - to make a tired concept fresh. 50/50 proves that great actors and filmmakers do not always make great movies.
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