50/50 captures the
strange isolation of
death better than any film in recent memory.
But the title doesn't
convey its heroes odds for survival; it's also a dangerous journey
well-traveled and how the burden of cancer is balanced between one's
self and those who love you.
A fight like this is a
lonely thing.
I
think it really shows the strength from the understanding that
everyone may die alone but we all live together.
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50/50 is a cancer
comedy with heart.
Based on the real-life
experiences of writer Will Reiser, and filled
with raunchy humor, this buddy/buddy romantic drama is an amalgam of
off-beat ideas about friendship, romance, and introspection.
As Terms
of Endearment proved, humor can take the edge off of tragedy.
And in
the end, the lesson to be learned is: laughter IS the best medicine.
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The title 50/50 refers to the survival
chances of the star character, who has a rare form of spinal cancer.
The basic story is put
together mostly from type patterns; a young
man with cancer moves forward and backwards over the expected
emotional trip.
His girlfriend dumps him, he
falls for his therapist,
and he befriends a couple of old codgers -- who give important life
lessons while they're in chemotherapy together.
I liked the fact that
the tale was based on a friendship during screenwriter Will Reiser's
long treatment for spinal cancer at the age of 25.
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