Movie: 50/50, A Party of Five

[+ Lucky]

In the huge auditorium where I saw the movie 50/50, there were 5 people, thus the party of five. I paid the senior rate of $7, but my movie loyalty card got me a free popcorn, which, if you believe the theater, is a $6 value.

 

The movie has five main characters,so it too is a party of five. Cancer movies usually are parties, right? Melodramatic music, a lovable guy dying with his loyal wife at his side, thinking all the way that he can beat this, until he can't.

 

Well, that's not 50/50. For one, the girl is out of it almost right away. After all, we can't have a girl who cheats on a cancer patient, can we? But if you are thinking that this might be your typical cancer movie, think again. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars, and I dare you to find a JGL movie that wasn't good.

 

JGL gets his diagnosis right off the bat. The doctor who informs him of it should get an Oscar, as he nails the uncaring caregiver with gusto. And it's not a very nice cancer, either. Were any other actor playing the role, it might be a challenge, but JGL has that sardonic wit and know-it all smile that carries him.

After his diagnosis, he meets his therapist, who is much better than the doc at the TLC, but unfortunately for JGL, he is only her third patient. However she makes up in caring what she lacks in experience. By the end of the movie, you are quite fond of her.

 

So if the girl is out of the way off the bat, we don't leave JGL alone, No, he has Seth Rogen as his best friend and sidekick. I don't often like Rogen's movie roles, but for this one he nailed it. He keeps JGL suitably distracted as they go on well, beaver hunts. Rogen's guy wants to get laid, and he soon figures out how cancer can help in that department.

 

The other two characters in the movie, of the prominent ones, are the mom and dad. Dad doesn't have much to do as he has Alzheimer's and introduces himself to his son. But mom carries a big role. One might stereotype her, but I don't think the movie ever says that she is Jewish. But she could be. Does she seem a little overbearing? Perhaps, unless you understand how it might be to have a husband who can't communicate and a son who won't. (It takes the therapist to come up with that one, not me.)

The movie even has a scene with the hospital workers in the background, smoking. How often do we see that in real life?

 

So, being a cancer movie, something must happen, right? Either there is the tearful deathbed scene or the happy "he beats it" ending. I can't help you there, because I want you to see this movie. But trust JGL to make it all worth your while. He is credible throughout.

 

I did wonder how a person who in fact is dealing with cancer in real life might react to this movie, and I decided that it would be just fine. No one mocks the disease or makes it look easy. The fact that one who has cancer must deal with friends and loved ones who don't know what to say, and thus say the stupidest things, is part of the movie. But there is plenty in the movie to make the topic serious while providing some comic relief. The ending may not please the cancer patient, but then again, it just might.

[jackhammer91406]

Party of one

 

At first I decided not to respond to this thread, but after some additional thought...here goes.

It has been 15 months since I was diagnosed and given a 50/50 chance for survival.

There were quite a few days when it didn't feel much like survival all things considered.

 

You mentioned that you wondered how a cancer patient might react to this film. As a 50/50er, I made the decision not to see it.

 

The day to day struggles of survival just don't leave room to watch (or live though) another life struggle at least for me. One of the pieces of advice the doctors and nurses gave me as I left the hospital after my first chemo was not to spend much time watching things that were not upbeat or cheerful. Not to put too fine a point on this, but attitude is key to surviving. All the literature says so. You have to remain positive.

 

That is not to suggest that this film or any other for that matter can't be upbeat or have a positive message, but until you have lived through the side effects and consequences of a 50/50 diagnosis, you probably won't be able to understand why someone would choose not to see a film like this.

 

My partner (who has been there every step of this awful journey,) did see the film two nights ago. His opinion was it wasn't all that good. I have no idea why he felt that way or what he meant because I don't even want to know. That's how far I want to stay away from even possibly re-living any of what I have been through. I only want to look forward.

I have only one more hurdle to jump as my surgery nears for the last disease. Once that is past perhaps I will feel differently.

 

I will probably regret replying to this thread since there may be some who will be tempted to try to convince me that I am wrong in choosing only lighthearted fare.

 

But I know I am making the right choice for me.

[Diverdan]

Hey Jackhammer... thank you for sharing this. I have several friends who have been through a similar situation, and they all said the same thing. Concentrate on positive things as much as you can. I don't think that any of us who have not lived through a similar experience can fully appreciate the energy and effort it takes to deal with cancer of any kind, and the stress that it puts on the body and mind. I appreciate this post from you very much and will send warm and positive thoughts for your complete recovery all the time.

DD

[+ Lucky]

Jackhammer, thanks for your post, No one can argue with your decision not to see this movie. It is, after all, only a movie. When I considered seeing it, I thought of those plays I have seen about HIV. Young actors who have no personal knowledge of the pain and suffering of the AIDS epidemic and HIV itself play those of us who did survive that time. In some instances I cringe when it seems that they just don't get it. But I have seen a couple where they are spot on, seeming to be able to go back in time and catch the moment just as it was. But, of course, my memory of that time, and my experience in that time, may vary widely from someone else's, and they might not think the actors got it right either.

 

Clearly in 50/50 Joseph Gordon-Leavitt has not gone through the personal experience of what he plays. So in my mind I ask if he honors those who have, and I think he does. He is not an actor who takes lightly the role he is given, and he does strive for accuracy. But there are 527,000 (or more) cancer deaths in the US each year. Many people will have no experience of this other than what they see in a movie. If 50/50 enlightens just a few it does well. And I think the movie does make a positive contribution without demeaning the experience. That's a lot more than most Hollywood efforts would do. So each of us will have to make his own decision on seeing the movie. Hopefullly each of us, whether seeing the movie or not, will endeavor to have more understanding of those who do experience cancer. It just may take a good movie to move that along.

 

The LA Times took a look at the movie, which is based on a true story, from the point of view of some people with cancer:

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-5050-cancer-20111006,0,2275323.story

[josephga]

I can't handle watching these types of films either. After being diagnosed going through the chemo I didn't feel safe until year 7 passed until then I constantly live in fear it would come back. My grandfather passed away from the same cancer in 2003 during the time of my chemo and I was advised not to attend his funeral and did not.