50/50 (Saturday, October 8, 2011) (88)

A comedy about cancer?! They said it could never be done, but here it is! Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a twenty-something guy who is diagnosed with some bad kind of cancer (as opposed to the good kinds). His best friend, played by Seth Rogan, is a bit of a clown and doesn't deal with the news well. The only place he finds solace is with the hospital social worker, played by Anna Kendrick. This is a very OK movie, not really all that funny, but not really a downer either. I was impressed by Kendrick, who I normally find particularly forced and showy (as in her role in Up in the Air), but here is understated and vulnerable. I hope she can keep up this tone and not try to be the high-school-drama-queen she has been up to this point in her onscreen career. JGL is brilliant as always, though the role he's playing here is more limited and not really interesting. Rogan phones in his performance as only he can.

Stars: 2 of 4