Tripleheader-fest: 1
I managed to book for three films at this years London Film Festival, a 50% improvement on last year. At this rate I should be able to catch the entire festival output by around 2063.
Here goes with the first one (spoilers ahoy):
50/50
Judd Apatow has a lot to answer for. Whilst both Knocked Up and Superbad were terrific fun, they were the harbingers of a grim new era for Hollywood comedy wherein smut and vulgarity rule at the expense of character development and charm (with Apatow himself directly or indirectly involved in much of it). One of the many recent nadirs was The Change-Up, the direct result of a terrible power lunch pitch along the lines of "wouldn't it be great if we rehashed the old Freaky Friday bodyswap plot, but with 90% of the jokes about poo and porn?"
This drive to break all possible taboos now brings us 50/50, which could easily be marketed as a CancerCom. You would be forgiven for not holding out high hopes for a comedy movie centred around a terminal disease in 2011, particularly one that features the near-ubiquitous Seth Rogen. But wait a minute - Judd Apatow's name is nowhere to be seen. Rogen is playing the buddy role rather than the lead. And 50/50 is something of a triumph.
We begin with a conventional setup - Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a twentysomething media professional complete with nice house, attractive bohemian girlfriend and the requisite amusing best friend/colleague. Then his back pain turns out to be the result a rare form of malignant spinal tumour, and the film really kicks into gear. What's most impressive is the way it never skimps on the jokes - the scenes where Adam breaks the news to his family and friends strike a delightful balance between mirth and melancholy and the rest of the film walks the same tightrope and rarely falters.
Gordon-Leavitt is forging himself a fine reputation and easily carries the film with a performance that never strays into mawkishness. As you'd expect, Rogen brings his share of bawdy humour to the table, and as usual is very funny. He has come somewhat unfairly to symbolise modern comedy's foul-mouthed problems, but this kind of supporting role in which eg he can use his friend's cancer as an opportunity for them to score chicks but where his unlikely pulling of a hot babe isn't at the heart of the film is probably where he fits best.
Bryce Dallas Howard's role as Adam's girlfriend has more depth than it initially seems, which goes for the film as a whole. That said, the plot provides few major surprises - I won't be spoiling it for many when I reveal that Anna Kendrick's awkward young therapist also provides some romantic interest. Kendrick is another whose star is very much on the rise, incidentally, and it's not an insult when I say that the very fact she doesn't fit the stereotypical beautiful Hollywood mould makes her far more interesting as a performer than many who do.
50/50 doesn't play as an "issue movie" and never feels crass or exploitative. Like all the best comedies, it plays as a funny story about a group of people who you're happy to pay to spend time with. See? In this day and age, it can be done.
Here goes with the first one (spoilers ahoy):
50/50
Judd Apatow has a lot to answer for. Whilst both Knocked Up and Superbad were terrific fun, they were the harbingers of a grim new era for Hollywood comedy wherein smut and vulgarity rule at the expense of character development and charm (with Apatow himself directly or indirectly involved in much of it). One of the many recent nadirs was The Change-Up, the direct result of a terrible power lunch pitch along the lines of "wouldn't it be great if we rehashed the old Freaky Friday bodyswap plot, but with 90% of the jokes about poo and porn?"
This drive to break all possible taboos now brings us 50/50, which could easily be marketed as a CancerCom. You would be forgiven for not holding out high hopes for a comedy movie centred around a terminal disease in 2011, particularly one that features the near-ubiquitous Seth Rogen. But wait a minute - Judd Apatow's name is nowhere to be seen. Rogen is playing the buddy role rather than the lead. And 50/50 is something of a triumph.
We begin with a conventional setup - Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a twentysomething media professional complete with nice house, attractive bohemian girlfriend and the requisite amusing best friend/colleague. Then his back pain turns out to be the result a rare form of malignant spinal tumour, and the film really kicks into gear. What's most impressive is the way it never skimps on the jokes - the scenes where Adam breaks the news to his family and friends strike a delightful balance between mirth and melancholy and the rest of the film walks the same tightrope and rarely falters.
Gordon-Leavitt is forging himself a fine reputation and easily carries the film with a performance that never strays into mawkishness. As you'd expect, Rogen brings his share of bawdy humour to the table, and as usual is very funny. He has come somewhat unfairly to symbolise modern comedy's foul-mouthed problems, but this kind of supporting role in which eg he can use his friend's cancer as an opportunity for them to score chicks but where his unlikely pulling of a hot babe isn't at the heart of the film is probably where he fits best.
Bryce Dallas Howard's role as Adam's girlfriend has more depth than it initially seems, which goes for the film as a whole. That said, the plot provides few major surprises - I won't be spoiling it for many when I reveal that Anna Kendrick's awkward young therapist also provides some romantic interest. Kendrick is another whose star is very much on the rise, incidentally, and it's not an insult when I say that the very fact she doesn't fit the stereotypical beautiful Hollywood mould makes her far more interesting as a performer than many who do.
50/50 doesn't play as an "issue movie" and never feels crass or exploitative. Like all the best comedies, it plays as a funny story about a group of people who you're happy to pay to spend time with. See? In this day and age, it can be done.
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