50/50

Can cancer be funny? As 50 Cent recently suggested, sometimes. Definitely Seth Rogen learned a thing or two about it in Funny People, where he helped a cancer-ridden Adam Sandler keep things light in the face of looming darkness—and now Rogen’s about to do the same for Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50. Directed by The Wackness' Jonathan Levine and loosely based on the personal story of screenwriter (and Rogen’s friend) Will Reiser, it finds Rogen doing what he did for Reiser in real life, once again being the pal who finds the bright side in Gordon-Levitt’s 50-50 chances of survival, such as the fact that it provides an excellent excuse to procure some medicinal weed and score sympathy sex from chicks. But lest you think the film is all Apatovian raunch colliding awkwardly with unearned sentiment, the trailer suggests a much more natural, heartfelt tone than that, seen particularly in Gordon-Levitt’s very genuine performance and those of the actresses playing his family and potential love interest (namely Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, and Anna Kendrick). It also has Philip Baker Hall offering Gordon-Levitt a marijuana-laced macaroon, which is awesome.