Cancer is no laughing matter. Life, however, is. In 50/50, which can best be described as a "cancer comedy", director Jonathan Levine and writer Will Reiser prove that disease can be just as humorous as it is frightening. 50/50 is one of the best movies of 2011.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam, a normal 20-something guy with a beautiful girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) and an obnoxious but good-hearted best friend named Kyle (Seth Rogen). His life is turned upside down when he learns that he has a rare form of cancer. Suddenly, the way his friends, coworkers, family and girlfriend treat him changes and he learns just how alone he really is.

Sounds funny, doesn't it?

50/50 is a serious movie, and yet it is through and through a comedy. It treats the subject of cancer with gravity, but Levine and Reiser maintain a consistent level of humor throughout. It's a strange blend of genres and tone and has no right working, but the filmmakers find the perfect balance. As a comedy, 50/50 is excellent, and as a drama about cancer and potential death, it is also excellent.

I continue to maintain that Gordon-Levitt is one of the most underrated actors working today. Over the last several years, from The Lookout to (500) Days of Summer, and more recently Hesher, Gordon-Levitt has delivered superb, understated performances. 50/50 gives audiences his best performance to date, and one of the best overall of the year. Believable and emotional, relatable and funny, Gordon-Levitt helps make the movie what it is.

Rogen also gives the best performance of his career. Though not significantly different from his other roles - he's still goofy and foulmouthed - Rogen's character has a little more gravitas, more sincerity than previously seen. Rogen embraces the character wholeheartedly. He has always played believable albeit sometimes over-the-top young men (The Green Hornet excluded) - most guys have had, at one time or another, a friend like him - and in 50/50 he finally gets to play against a more serious topic. It's an unorthodox pairing, but one that works.

The highlight of the film, however, is the chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), who plays his just-out-of-school therapist and potential love interest. Every scene they have together brings a smile to the fact; Kendrick shows that her Oscar nomination was no fluke.

50/50 is one of those rare movies that few people have seen but that most would like; its perfect blend of comedy and drama and chemistry between the cast make it one of the rewarding, enjoyable and best movies of 2011.

Review by Erik Samdahl.