autumnsoliloquy90 | 50/50 (2011) (Reply)

I was feeling depressed and morbid, so what better way to escape than into a depressing and morbid indie flick.

It was pretty good. I've read people saying it should have been an Oscar shoe-in. I wouldn't exactly agree with that, but it's a good film. Rather predictable, you can see the incoming plot points from a mile away. The trailer gives away too much. Way too much. Rather disappointing for an indie film (their unofficial objective is always to shock, to be different or to be cool) but still, quite an inspiring movie. See, I told you it's predictable.

Shall not give away too much of the important spoilers, at least not more than that trailer does. Premise: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, also known as Indie Film Poster Boy, plays a young guy who gets spinal cancer, Neurofibrosarcoma Schwannoma. The whole thing is apparently based on a true story. I wonder how much of it is faithful to reality. Particularly the ending. I have conflicting opinions on that. But it reminded me a bit of -- ironically enough -- The Graduate, which was nice.

Adam Lerner is a really nice guy -- as he says, he doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, he recycles. He also waits for the green man to cross, has a soft spot for retired rescue dogs and volcanoes. Your typical average guy -- kinda reminds me of Tom from (500) days of summer. Seems like Joe's perfectly made for cut-out characters into which the average male viewer can slot himself in. Anyway Adam is a really nice guy. Oh wait I already said that. Kind of guy who doesn't drive because car accidents are among the top 5 killers (below cancer), kind of nice guy who would get screwed over by his girlfriend. That kind.

Anyway, I think this film should be classroom material for patient-doctor communication class in medical school. Exhibit A: his doctor who probably failed that class in his college days (breaking bad news without eye contact, alienating the patient with jargon, talking non-stop, etc.). Exhibit B: the therapist student, played by Anna Kendrick, who's socially awkward and totally doesn't have the flair for being a shrink (rationalising emotions, rambling on about theories -- she reminds me of Elliot Reid in Scrubs). But at least she gives the best line in the film IMHO:

You can't change your situation, you can only change how you deal with it.

But in any case, she's a pretty horrible shrink, I might add. Falling for your patient -- talk about breaking the first rule in the rulebook. Remind me never to go into psychology. I'd make a terrible shrink anyway. (Speaking of shrinks, my mother wants me to see one. Who'd have thought that.)

The trailer makes it look like it's about friendship and all, but that's just marketing ploy targeting at the male demographic to not dismiss this as another sappy tearjerker about cancer and death. I mean, okay, Seth Rogen and JGL portray a really good Heterosexual Life Partners relationship onscreen. And that one's my favourite in the whole thing. That shit is funny. Seriously, are all that guys who have to deal with cancer think about is getting laid as much as possible? Is this cinema being so freaking predictably sexist as usual, or maybe guys are just like that?

If it's not obvious yet, I really like the film. Made me emotional in some parts. Shed a tear or two. Okay, maybe I'm biased since I'm starting to really develop a healthy celebrity crush on JGL (how can you not fall for a famous guy who's on tumblr? Mingling among us mere mortals?), and seeing him play an unfortunate sick guy just tugs at the right heartstrings you know? Oh and when Radiohead started playing I knew I was a goner. That's it, I'm sold.

If the film doesn't lie, then it's true that green tea apparently reduces your risk of cancer by 15%. That's good, because I have replaced my caffeine addiction with a daily sencha fix. I guess there might be some truth in it, since some of the oldest people ever came from Japan. Anyway the point is, after the credits rolled, that slightly paranoid voice in my head started freaking out and all. I mean, youth is really not an immunization to misfortune, much less to cancerous cells. And fuck, I've been eating some carcinogens from burnt food for the past few years now. I don't smoke, but secondhand smokers die earlier than the firsthanders. And of course, there's my exponentially increasingly sedentary lifestyle. But I guess I should rest assured for now, since I don't do weed, I have a dusty hymen and I love salmon and chicken since red meat is too troublesome.

I guess I really don't wanna die yet. Sure, that sweet nectar of life is definitely nowhere in sight right now, but being dead kinda reduces all that possibility of tasting it to zero. 50/50 is still better odds than that. Told you depressing movies are the best cure for depression.

Did I mention that I really love JGL? Yes, I'm late to the party full of fangirls (and boys), but damn he makes really good choices in his projects. (500) Days gets annoying with every viewing, but at least it's different, for that time at least. And I've been checking out the projects he did during his obscurity days. I really love Hesher. That's another one of them funny-take-at-sad-situations-film. He's a pretty good actor. I can totally foresee him starring in his own Marvel superhero blockbuster any time soon. And he really looks like Kubozuka Yosuke. He'd better not be gay, I tell you. And I totally ship him with Ellen Page.