Ah, another bromance sort of movie has just been released in theatres. This time it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man diagnosed with cancer trying to cope with everyday life whilst his friend (Seth Rogen) takes care of him and his illness. The movie sounds a little cliché (and it is to some extent), but these rhythms couldn’t be avoided because of where the story goes. All I can say is that everything about this movie worked.
Rogen and Gordon-Levitt have a natural chemistry with each other that’s very interesting to watch onscreen. Rogen, of course, plays the comic relief and is very much like all of the other characters he’s played in the rest of his films, but he brings a lot more heart and soul in a performance that’s may be quite groundbreaking for his career.
Gordon-Levitt mastered his role and brings about several emotionally charged scenes that had me floored, especially near the end of the film during a crucial scene with his mother (played by Anjelica Huston). The dazzling Bryce Dallas Howard also has a part in this film as Gordon-Levitt’s girlfriend and Anna Kendrick does a fine job as his counselor.
Everything screams ‘indie’ about this movie. The soundtrack is rooted in Radiohead and others –and the flick is set in Seattle. The director, Jonathan Levine, is fresh off his 2008 film, The Wackness, which is also, coincidentally, one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life. What’s great is that he succeeds in everything he tries to do here balancing the urban feel of the environments with the bleakness of the characters.
All the while, this movie walks a tightrope between comedy and drama. There were so many moments in this movie that I laughed my heart out while at other times I was crying because of how heartfelt everything was. Deep down, this is a movie about mortality and friendship in the face of adverse trauma, yet so much comedic elements of life are brought into the mix in such a cool fashion.
Right from the get-go I knew this movie was going to be great. Sure, call me biased, but I was intrigued by the casting of Gordon-Levitt and Rogen in the whole concept of this cancer story. It really delves into some interesting elements of the subject of life and death, but never fails to deliver laughs and moments of spontaneous goodness. I laughed, I cried, I left the theater extremely happy and knowing that this is may be my favorite motion picture of the year.
5 out of 5 stars
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