2. 50/50 (2011)
Making a comedy about a man suffering with cancer is an extraordinarily difficult feat, but last year, Jonathan Levine and writer Will Reiser - on whose experiences the film is based - knocked it out of the park with
50/50, one of the year's very best films. Gordon-Levitt plays Adam Lerner, a young man whose world falls apart when, despite living a relatively healthy life, he finds out that he has a rare form of cancer. Despite the risky material, Levine and Reiser manage to fashion a film both tender and hilarious, deftly moving between the two, thanks largely to the two central performances by Seth Rogen - as Adam's best friend - and of course, Gordon-Levitt himself. The actor goes all out for the role, shaving his head and baring himself in a number of uncomfortable - if ultimately funny - scenes, such as when a cancer-ridden Adam attempts to have sex on a night out. What really works, though, are the little details; Adam's frustration with his predicament and people who don't understand, but moreover the loneliness that such a damning diagnosis invites. Gordon-Levitt never overplays it as many actors would be tempted to; it is a perfectly-pitched mix of being worn-down by a horrible illness and ultimately, hoping that life isn't quite over yet. Particularly stirring is the scene in which Adam goes in for his life-or-death surgery; the anaesthetic kicks in, and the fear on his face, as he says goodbye to his mother (played by Anjelica Huston) is palpable. The actor received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, though one cannot help but think the Academy really dropped the ball by not giving him a nod themselves.