Will Reiser beat the odds to triumph over a rare but potentially fatal form of cancer.

Now, can the movie inspired by his brush with death pull off an Oscar upset?

“50/50,” the serio-comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role inspired by Reiser, didn’t obliterate the box office competition following its Sept. 2011 debut. To date, it’s rake in a modest $34 million, not too shabby for a film revolving around cancer but hardly blockbuster material. And the film’s 93 percent “fresh” rating at RottenTomatoes.com also bodes well for its awards season chances.

But the movie doesn’t have that Oscar feel, and while that’s no critique on the film itself it could matter when it comes time to tally up votes.

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A perfect blend of hilarious one-liners and tear jerking moments makes ‘50/50’ every moviegoer’s dream dramedy.

Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a 27-year-old who lives a healthy lifestyle and has his whole life ahead of him. He enjoys his job as a writer for radio programs and is working towards taking the next step with his girlfriend. When Adam starts to have back problems, he does the right thing and gets it checked out. Adam’s world is completely turned upside down when an unsympathetic doctor tells him he has a rare form of spinal cancer and even after surgery, only has a small chance of survival. The rest of the film takes the audience through Adam’s struggle to fight cancer.

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This movie could have been just a sad, slow-moving story if it weren’t for its star and supporting cast. Seth Rogen successfully plays joking, but well-intentioned best friend, Kyle, who interjects the most hilarious and witty one-liners throughout the film. Anna Kendrick tops her performance from ‘Up in the Air’ taking on the role as the young, awkward, but cute therapist, Katie. Katie is working on getting her doctorate by ‘practicing’ patient therapy and Adam is one of her first patients. Bryce Dallas Howard nails the manipulative but sexy girlfriend, Rachael, and Angelica Huston plays the lovable, worried mother who is scared to death for her son’s life.

**Some Spoilers Ahead**

Since Adam can’t drive, he has to rely on the people around him to get to his treatments. Rachael agrees to help him through everything, although quickly we see she isn’t up for it and their relationship falls to pieces. Kyle tries to cheer him up by getting Adam to concentrate on two things: sex and smoking pot. Things turn sour when Adam’s condition worsens and everyone realizes he could die during surgery.

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August 25, 2005 — Daily Mail:  A Polanski threesome which included 15 year-old Nastassja Kinski:

On his first night off from rehearsals for the Bavarian State Opera’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, Polanski went out to dinner with a German critic and two young women. 

Afterwards, the four returned to Polanski’s two-bedroom hotel suite.

The director took one of the girls to bed while the critic took the other, but when Polanski emerged from his room during the night he discovered that the critic had gone home, leaving his date – who called herself “Nasty” – sprawled in an armchair in the sitting room.

Polanski immediately invited her to join him and his partner for what was later described as a “threesome”, and she agreed.

The girl’s name, he learnt later, was Nastassja Kinski – an aspiring actress who was destined to star in his 1979 film Tess.

She was just 15, and he was 43.

Polanski’s own words from his memoir: (more…)