Extraordinary Measures (CBS Films)
Rated PG for thematic material, language and a mild suggestive moment.
Starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, Keri Russell, Meredith Droeger, Diego Velazquez, Sam Hall, Jared Harris, Patrick Bauchau, Alan Ruck, David Clennon, Dee Wallace, Courtney B. Vance, Ayanna Berkshire.
Written by Tom Vaughan, based on the book by Geeta Anand.
Directed by Tom Vaughan.
GRADE: B+
REVIEWMiracles happen, but are also made. That's the message of
Extraordinary Measures, a new film based on the true story of a father who refuses to accept that his children will die, and works to find a cure for their fatal illness.
Brendan Fraser stars as John Crowley, a pharmaceutical executive whose two children have Pompe Disease, or a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Most children with Pompe die before their 9th birthday, due to weakened muscles and enlarging internal organs. John and his wife Aileen's (Keri Russell) children Megan and Patrick live with the help of respirators, round-the-clock nurses and wheelchairs.
John decides he will not wait for his kids to die, but searches out an obscure research doctor in Nebraska named Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), whose theory on developing a cure for Pompe shows promise. When Crowley meets Stonehill, he discovers the only reason the research hasn't moved forward is lack of funding, and sets out to raise $500 thousand to get Stonehill's research off the ground.
Eventually, Crowley and Stonehill form their own biotech company, after convincing some venture capitalists to fund them. When the investors threaten to pull out, Crowley and Stonehill sell the company to a mega-pharmaceutical corporation to keep the project and the Crowley kids alive.
Once the big corporate types take over, the project seems doomed due to failure, due to infighting between Crowley, Stonehill, and the pharmaceutical big-wigs.
Will a cure be found in time to save the lives of the Crowley kids?
Like other medical research movie dramas,
Extraordinary Measures has its good and bad points. On the good side, the actors perform admirably, most notably Fraser as the desperate father, and Ford as the curmudgeon scientist who has trouble getting along with anybody. Another honorable mention goes to Meredith Droeger as the charming Pompe victim Megan. On the bad side, the "drama" moments are few and far between, making for a slow-moving story and a few glances at one's wristwatch.
That's the trouble with movies about long journeys in science. The movie moves along just about as slow as research.
Despite a silly film critic's musings, it's important to note that the Crowley story is true, and the miracle of a cure for children who suffer from such a terrible condition is a good story to tell.
