Is The World Ready For A Cancer Comedy?

Cancer is, by its definition, not a laughing matter. However, the producers of the film 50/50 are risking their necks to find the comedy in the “c word”. When his friend Will Reiser developed cancer at age 25, comedian Seth Rogen wondered how the story could be developed for the big screen. With a script written by Reiser himself, the film 50/50 stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 DAYS OF SUMMER) as a cancer patient, with Rogen as his loutish friend. Although the script apparently has its harrowing sequences, it also draws some comedic juice from the story, in particular when Gordon-Levitt exploits his condition to attract women. The film appears to be walking a fine line but since it is being written by someone who knows intimately about the challenges and the absurdities of a cancer diagnosis, it is bound to be provocative and intriguing. Summit Entertainment has set a late September theatrical release date, but don’t be surprised to see this film mentioned as a buzz title at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.

FFT Webmaster

The FFT Webmaster use displays whenever an article has multiple authors. It also pops up on articles from old versions of Film Festival Today. The original author byline might be missing! In that case, if you are the author of such an article and see this bio instead of your own, please send us an email. Some of our contributors that might be missing bylines are: Brad Balfour, Laura Blum, and Sandy Mandelberger, among others.