50/50

50/50

Thank goodness for second opportunities. I missed this film on the first round. Recently I saw it reviewed as one of the best films for 2011. I noticed it was playing one afternoon at the Regent Cinema.
The Regent used to be the Belsize Movie house and then became the Crest Theatre. As a child I spent almost every Saturday afternoon at the Belsize. I have such happy memories from that movie house. During the war we were asked to bring can goods. There were coloring contests and serial short films every Saturday. I remember being bored with the news but always loved the cartoons. (Interesting that the reverse now is true)The Regent has been lushly remodeled and is a charming cinema.
50/50 also gives a second chance to Adam Lerner. He is such a sweet guy. He works for a radio station. His girlfriend Rachael is an artist. You know this is not a lasting relationship. She is more interested in her art shows than her charming young man. His best friend is a riot. He is loud and certainly not refined. He has only one thing on his mind and that is sex.
Adam discovers he has cancer. The film shows you how he copes throughout the process. The office gives him a party to make him feel better. Nobody knows how to react or what to say. His boss hugs him and tells him he will miss him. Several of the women weep. I found myself laughing and crying at the same time.
His friend Rachael won’t even go into the hospital while he is having his treatment. She says to him,” This is so stressful. You have no idea.” (Lovely girl friend) Rachel does leave him and later tries to reunite. Good for Adam. He tells her to get lost.
While having his chemo he meets some new friends. He discovers that a second chance is a good thing in accepting his overbearing mother and his father who has Alzheimer’s.
He even gets a second chance at love.
There are a lot of laughs. It also is a serious film full of a lot of emotion. You want to throw something at his matter of fact doctor. There is no compassion. He hurls out the bad news and is very blunt.
Adam goes through all the emotions of someone facing a 50 /50 chance of survival. It wasn’t exactly an uplifting film for the end of the year. On the other hand it was a movie of a strong young man who faced his trials with strength and came out of it as a better person. I can see why this was chosen as one of the better films of the year. (Certainly not the best).