50 "comedy"/50 "drama"

While discussing the novel Feed in my Contemporary Media Issues class, the question was raised: Are some diseases becoming "cool"?



A fellow classmate, Beth mentioned the new movie soon to be in theaters called 50/50 starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen about a guy who gets diagnosed with cancer. More information on the summary and cast of this production can be found at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1306980/

"I don't know if they are trying to make cancer seem cool..." Beth said as an introduction to the film. Thinking back to the preview I have seen, I chose to look it up again to really pay attention.



The trailer above was the original I saw on television. The limbic brain is bouncing with the upbeat music and with references to a well known comedy Superbad, the audience is more likely to get the impression that this movie very well may be trying to make cancer seem like the cool thing to do. Like everyone is doing it.

In search for more detail, I came across a longer trailer:



It's interesting how there are two trailers for the same movie relaying different themes. This trailer is a bit more serious taking the movie more in depth. We discover it's not just a comedy but more of a drama with comic relief. First impressions mean a lot. Most of America will probably view the top trailer first. What will they think when they step in the theater?

50/50 isn't a movie trying to make cancer seem cool, although that may be implied through the first trailer. This is a true story about a guy's life and the struggles he had to face. If anything, it's an attempt for more awareness to the disease and how it can affect one's life.