Inspired by a true story, 50/50 is half drama and half comedy.

It’s a story of survival when Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) discovers he has a rare cancer. He and his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) realize their lives are totally going to change and face them together. Though the film has a deeply emotional core, the journey to health can sometimes be funny too.

Rogen plays the same character we usually see him as and tries to keep the good mood alive by joking about Gordon-Levitt’s situation in the bluntest ways. Rogen’s sarcastic charm complements the sense of reserve in Gordon-Levitt and together they make a nice team.

Katherine (Anna Kendrick) is Gordon-Levitt’s quirky and awkward student-therapist who tries to help, but doesn’t really know how. The chemistry between Kendrick and Gordon-Levitt feels real and even though you can tell their fate when they first meet, it still works.

50/50 captures how we deal with difficult and sometimes life-altering situations. It illustrates how much people truly have a need for one another and embraces the complications in those personal relationships.

The cancer-comedy genre is clearly oxymoronic and is a hard one to get right. 50/50 gives you likable characters and a meaningful message. It will have you laughing hysterically one moment and shedding a tear the next.