3x with JGL: 50-50

[katikat]

This movie feels very personal to me. 11 years ago, my father died of cancer and looking back now, I would have done so many things differently. Back then, I was 22 and finishing my BA when he died. My mom just lost her job and she was taking care of my father at home, almost till his last day. And it was killing her, both physically and emotionally. He was very demanding and... well, there were other issues besides his sickness, stuff that had been brewing for years. And because she was taking care of him, I was trying to take care of her, to help her and support her emotionally. But I was spending so much time at school and studying... And because of that, I was terser with my father than I should've been. Hindsight is always 20-20.

But back to the movie. It's wonderful, based on a real story of the writer who is also one of the closest friends of Seth Rogen who plays JGL's Adam's best friend in this movie. So, the writer and Seth Rogen - who also produced this film - and the other exec who went through this ordeal together based the story on their own experiences, on how they had felt and reacted, and because of that, the movie feels real.

JGL was simply amazing. Funny and sweet and beautiful and you wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be okay.





A fantastic performance. Though I'm a bit torn. You see, James McAvoy - my other favorite actor! - was set to play this part first, they even went through the whole pre-production with him but then he had to drop out because of a family emergency. The execs offered the part to JGL and he said yes - on Saturday and on Monday they started filming! So yeah, I love JGL in this but James McAvoy would've been so perfect in it too! It breaks my heart :((

And I really liked Seth Rogen in this movie...



Yeah, Kyle was a bit of an oaf but he was also determined to see his friend through this, to help him. He and Adam had known each other since high school and the depth of their friendship was undeniable. He was a bit insensitive from time to time that's why one of my favorite scenes was when Adam found the self-help book for family and friends of cancer patients in Kyle's flat and realized that despite all his goofiness, Kyle was really worried about him and that he had read the book in secret so that he could help Adam better. That was fantastic.

And then there was romance and Rachel and Katherine - Anna Kendrick was amazing as the wet behind the ears therapist, simply lovely! - but I especially loved Anjelica Huston as Adam's mother.



The scene before Adam's surgery - see above - and the one after the whole thing, when he was high on morphine and called her "Mommy!" was sweet. Though the former made me tear up, it was so sad.

To sum it up, it's a wonderful, funny movie about a serious topic that's mostly about how two best friends handle a sickness that threatens the life of one of them. Excellent.

Other known actors? Matt Frewer as the cancer patient Mitch.