Extraordinary Measures

Pretty much what I expected it to be, a well told and heart-warming story about dedication, love and endurance. What I did doubt about this film was the casting. All doubts were quickly dispelled because everyone was PERFECT in their roles. You knew Harrison Ford would deliver but both Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell were amazing as desperate parents determined to save their kids. The film is predictable, maybe to a fault and really didn't go for the deep emotional impact that I was expecting but it still hits home hard enough. The ending seemed also to be somewhat abrupt but still, I enjoyed this movie very much.

One of the most underrated films of the year. Clearly this movie was too intellectual for the general public. Well acted, well directed and with a very powerful message. The movie shows to what lenghts good parents will go for their children. It also reveals the difficulty in placing a new well needed drug with the FDA. The message this movie reveals is the priority of costs by drug companies over the health concerns of individuals and families affected by rare diseases. Both Bryandon Frasier and Harrison Ford deliver powerful performances in this film. Its refreshing to watch a film and not have to sit thought the typical car chase or shoot-out.

"Extraordinary Measures" is one of those "feel-good", "inspirational" films which is actually feel-good and inspirational but in a very generic kind-of-way.

Brendan Fraser awkwardly stars as a businessman who desperately hopes that "they" will find a cure for Pompe disease, which two of his children are dying from. As you would expect, he stays up late researching trying to find the latest advances. This teams him up with Harrison Ford, an unpersonable scientist, who also provides the few comic relief moments.

Based on a true story, but in such a way that although the overall story may come from real life, all the events shown are surely fictional. It's dramatic when we need it to be and things work out when we need them to - way too formulaic and tidy for real life. They tell us some of the science behind the cure, which is of course nonsense, but it's supposed to get the audience more invested in what's happening; however, it's just a reminder that this is Hollywood not real life.

Let me go back to the beginning, "Extraordinary Measures" is feel-good and inspirational, and if you like those types of movies, this one plays out exactly as it's supposed to. You'll get swept up into the story and cry when you're supposed to. Everything is right on cue.

Harrison Ford still displays great instincts both as an actor and as an executive producer. I believed in his character whole-heartedly, and convincingly-so as the movie unfolded the story. Brendan Fraser is also very convincing as a decent, but desperate and resourceful father. This is a movie that made me want to read the book, research the real issues.

I especially like the way the audience is increasingly drawn in, not only to the family seeking Dr. Stonehill's cutting edge medical research, but, moreover, in to the very lives of other families enduring a plight similar to the family of the main protagonists.

The movie is strong in terms of not over-playing the sentiment, which it would have been so easy to do.

The faceplate reviewer goes out of his way to pan the leads, Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser as being too old, curmudgeonly and too fat and weepy. OK. Thanks for expressing those opinions, which, BTW, I don't share. Yes. There's no doubt this is a sentimental flick with great emotional overtones and certainly qualifies as a three hanky job. Seeing children suffer, whether they're cute, charming, cuddly or not, is not pleasant. But, the fact that there are these kinds of kids who endure the ravages of disease stemming from their own bodies is a sad reality and I would argue it takes a pretty stern person to consider these conditions unemotionally. The movie is based on a book and like any biopic, a certain amount of license is taken in bringing the story to the screen. However, the story is never maudlin. The script is full of sentiment but never slips down to the level of being overly sentimental. In effect, it's a tale of people with various agendas driven by the desperation of a father trying to help his children from dying an early death. There is no deus ex machina, here. The conflicts which impede the goal largely stem from the personal agendas of the players in the drama. Sound familiar? You bet. That's what good writing is all about and when life imitates myth, it's even better. This is a good movie. Go see it. And, if you do so without puddling up at the eyeballs, you're made of sterner stuff than me.