50/50 is a very fine film.
On the surface, it's a bleak subject matter.
A fine young man with everything to live for gets a rare form of cancer and struggles with a virulent treatment and his impending fate.
But the subject matter is handled with such a delicate touch and such an eye for the beautifully dark humour that can be wrung out of his situation that it's not nearly as dreary as a cinema goer might fear.
Like Coriolanus, I would not have sought this one out if I was left to my own devices. I suspect it's age-related but I am increasingly unwilling to sit through relentless misery on a giant screen, unless I believe it to be in a good cause. So I avoided it when it was first out for this reason.
Luckily, Gail wished to see it for work purposes. The lucky girl is working for the Government on a campaign about cancer detection so saw it as research. And I strive to be a good friend so said I would accompany her.
It turned out to be much more of a story about people who seem selfish and aren't. And those who apparently strive to help others but turn out to have all sorts of selfish reasons for doing so. With the cancer as more of the pretext than the purpose of the story.
The ending is quite possibly slightly fanciful. But after unrelenting bad luck throughout, I was willing to forgive a little showy flourish.
Go see. If you can. It's surprisingly both funny and fun.
On the surface, it's a bleak subject matter.
A fine young man with everything to live for gets a rare form of cancer and struggles with a virulent treatment and his impending fate.
But the subject matter is handled with such a delicate touch and such an eye for the beautifully dark humour that can be wrung out of his situation that it's not nearly as dreary as a cinema goer might fear.
Like Coriolanus, I would not have sought this one out if I was left to my own devices. I suspect it's age-related but I am increasingly unwilling to sit through relentless misery on a giant screen, unless I believe it to be in a good cause. So I avoided it when it was first out for this reason.
Luckily, Gail wished to see it for work purposes. The lucky girl is working for the Government on a campaign about cancer detection so saw it as research. And I strive to be a good friend so said I would accompany her.
It turned out to be much more of a story about people who seem selfish and aren't. And those who apparently strive to help others but turn out to have all sorts of selfish reasons for doing so. With the cancer as more of the pretext than the purpose of the story.
The ending is quite possibly slightly fanciful. But after unrelenting bad luck throughout, I was willing to forgive a little showy flourish.
Go see. If you can. It's surprisingly both funny and fun.
posted by Claire at 6:10 pm
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