Joseph Gordon-Levitt has probably had one of the most consistent careers of any actor in his generation, but its inevitable that some of his projects will get less attention from audiences than others. He tends to get the most recognition for his action-oriented films, like Looper, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises. But unfortunately, a lot of people missed out on the low-key dramedy 50/50. Gordon-Levitt stars as a young man who is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer, and the film follows his journey through treatment. It's difficult to think of a cancer film as being funny, but 50/50 manages to embrace all those little moments of humor that happen in real life regardless of whatever sad things are happening. Cancer isn't funny, but life almost always is. It's an impeccably written film, with the writer drawing on his own personal experience with cancer, and the result is a movie that chronicles the disease with a rare sense of realism. Gordon-Levitt plays the lighter and darker aspects of the main character with equal skill, and it's a shame that he wasn't recognized more for his work in this film.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
