Seth Rogen: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
2. Kyle - 50/50
50/50 is a 2011 film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen about a man in his late 20s who unexpectedly gets diagnosed with cancer. Did I mention that its also a comedy? The film, which was also produced by Seth Rogen (and his filmmaking partner Evan Goldberg), has the unenviable task of walking that fine line between drama and comedy. It has to provide laughs around the central story of cancer, yet not too much so that the drama has no effective weight.
In a supporting role, Seth plays Kyle, best friend to Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who, at the beginning of the film, comes across as just another schlubby best friend. He cracks jokes about sex, wants to go out to clubs, all of those normal things that horny best friends are supposed to do in movies. After Adam learns he has a cancerous tumor, the character of Kyle really goes beyond those initial cliches. It requires Seth Rogen to venture a bit out of his comfort zone as he shows Adam how much he truly cares about him, rising up to the dramatic demands the screenplay needs. It is a bit jarring at first to see Seth doing anything besides smoking pot and lounging around but this fades away as the movie continues.
When Adams life begins to crumble, we buy into the complicated earnestness of Kyle because Seth sells it so well. He wants to help Adam and encourage him, but not patronize him and make him feel abnormal. It can be hard for some comedic actors to make the leap to drama but Seth does it well here by emphasizing the best things about his persona. 50/50 is easily the most mature performance of Seth Rogen's career.