Trailer for Rogen and Levitt’s Cancer Dramedy ’50/50′

I’ve heard good things from people that have seen 50/50, a film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall and directed by Jonathan Levine (The Wackness). In fact, buzz is so good I included it in my preliminary list of “For Your Consideration” films in my awards section The Contenders.

The film is a dramedy adapted from Will Reiser’s novel in which a 25-year-old (Gordon-Levitt) learns he has cancer and successfully battles the disease over several years. The character is based on the real experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser, who won his own fight with cancer in his mid-20s.

The film is set to hit theaters on September 30, which makes me think it will probably play in the Toronto International Film Festival prior to its release. The first trailer has just debuted and I have added it directly below along with the much lengthier synopsis. You tell me, are you all aboard and ready to check this one out?

Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is an original story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star as best friends whose lives are changed by a cancer diagnosis. Rogen also serves as producer, along with Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin. Jonathan Levine directs from a script by Will Reiser. “We worked with Will on Da Ali G show, and it was shortly after that we learned he was sick.” Rogen recalls. “As shocking, sad, confusing and generally screwed up as it was; we couldn’t ignore that because we were so ill-equipped to deal with the situation, funny things kept happening. Will got better, and when he did, we thought the best way to pull something good out of the situation was to get him to write a screenplay. Ideally we wanted to make a film that would be as funny, sad, and hopefully as honest as the experience we went through. As soon as the script was completed, it quickly became a passion project for all of us. It helped us come to terms with Will’s struggle as well as our own experiences.” 50/50 is the story of a guy’s transformative and, yes, sometimes funny journey to health. 50/50 draws its emotional core from Will Reiser’s own experience with cancer and reminds us that friendship and love, no matter what bizarre turns they take, are the greatest healers.

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