I had heard of 50/50 before so I had high hopes for the movie — and my hopes were not betrayed.

I loved all the characters. I strongly relate to the mother-son relationship, and loved that it kept popping up briefly until the very end, when the mother and son came together and talked honestly about how they felt. What touched me the most was the main character’s relationship with his best friend. His best friend was more or less a wreck; he was horrible at taking care of the main character and often was insensitive, but it was also obvious how much he cared. In particular, I loved how perfectly his actions the night before the main character’s surgery and on the day of portrayed lightly masked love.

I am a little wary of how the movie almost ridiculed therapy, but I also appreciate the message that therapy alone is not enough (and I am also a fan of the romance that emerged from the bad therapy in the movie).

My favorite part, however, was listening to a cancer survivor speak about how 50/50 affected them after the movie. Hearing someone who had experienced the hardships that come with cancer explain how different scenes in the movie aligned with their real experiences helped bridged the gap between fiction and reality in my mind.