"50/50" is, supposedly, a comedy/drama about a man in his 20s having cancer and how those around him, and he, deal with it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam, based on the true story of Will Reiser, who wrote the screenplay, and Will's actual good friend Seth Rogen, who is called Kyle in the movie.

Three people sabotage
the comedy, which mainly takes place for the first hour, consisting of
the direction by Jonathan Levine, photography by Terry Stacey and the
performance by Seth Rogen. The first two are inconsistent while
Seth plays his one note vulgar, trash talking character from all his
previous movies. It could be that is who he really is and his friend Reiser wrote him as he was/is in real life. Between the screenplay, acting and writing, Rogen's 'comedy' brings the movie down. As the Showtime series "The Big C" has
shown there is good comedy and drama revolving around living with
cancer.

The last thirty
minutes of "50/50" takes a turn and becomes a real tearjerker, not in
the way one expects, turning the film into a more interesting story.

Gordon-Levitt,
with his hang dog expressions, gets your sympathy when needed though he
shows you nothing of the person he is playing while it is time for Rogen to change his acting choices. Bryce Dallas Howard is also in danger of
becoming a one note actress, following her appearance in "The Help" with
playing another shrew in this movie, though hopefully Reiser's real life girlfriend wasn't this nonsupporting.
Anna Kendrick is shaky at first as a therapist but gives a solid
performance in the latter half of the film. Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer shine in their roles as older men with cancer mellowing out with pot. It is always a pleasure to see Anjelica Huston and she comes through as the mother who smothers her son because she loves him!

"50/50" is not the film it could/should have been.