Extraordinary Measures

Just watched this true life drama starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser at the theatre with my friend who works there. Not the kind we normally go to see but since this film had only one afternoon showing time for the days of this week, we felt it was worth a look. The leads were pretty good for the characters they played and provided enough drama to make their admiration for each other clear despite some disagreements. The two handicapped kids of Fraser's character provided both humor and some genuine touching moments that didn't go overboard. Also fine was Keri Russell as Brandan's wife and Courtney B. Vance as another parent with similarly diseased kids who tells his family's story to a captive audience. My favorite scenes are those involving Ford's doctor character constantly playing classic rock songs in his lab to the consternation of everyone else there. Extraordinary Measures is perhaps not a great drama, but it provides enough moments that make this worthy entertainment.

"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.

I went to see this film with some personal trepidation, but the lure of a possibly good story drew me in. I can say I wasn't disappointed. It's often difficult to objectively assess the work in a contemporary film because much of the surroundings seem common place. I can say that the sets, art direction and costuming seemed to be a comfortable fit and lent it a sense of realism that I appreciated and that also happened to add to the fine production quality of the film.

But as must be the case in a film of this nature, the quality ultimately comes down to the efforts invested by the director and his cadre of accomplished actors. Their efforts certainly didn't disappoint me. The lion's share of the load was placed squarely on the shoulders of Brendan Fraser as John Crowley. I had a personal sense of justice on the line with how well he might do. There were several scenes that rang true to life for me; his portrayal of the internally tortured, desperate and determined father of two terminally ill children made me feel he did such real fathers justice. I think I can say that because I once was one myself.

The other performances were excellent as well. I would have a tough time in faulting Harrison Ford as Dr. Robert Stonehill. He gave a great performance as an overworked, frustrated scientist - something I can also relate to as I've been something of a scientist in my past myself. He felt real to me; I've known men just like him, maybe including me - I guess you'd have to ask my former colleagues how close it was.

But the other performance that I was particularly taken with was that of Courtney B. Vance as Marcus Temple. His tight emotional presentation went right to my heart and hung there heavily. It felt like me, I wanted to hug the man; maybe cry with him. I'd love to see him receive a nomination for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Not to be left out is Keri Russell as Aileen Crowley. She gave a good performance, but to me it seemed a little less emotional than mothers like this I've personally known; especially my own wife. I also think they could have given her more space to reveal a character that would be more in depth but that's not her fault - maybe the screen writers? So, in the final analysis I think she did a great job and certainly did nothing to diminish real mothers like her character.

As one may have surmised from what I've written, I may be too personally prejudiced to look at any film like this with artistic fairness. So judge me if you like; you can go to a web site at http://webpages.charter.net/bruce.jones1/ and click on the button labeled "Belinda" on the left; it gives a personally biased but true story of my daughter's struggle for life. Let me know what you think ... you can also be treated to photos of the world's largest Lady Bug collection as a reward for your trip - a collection she started.

The bottom line is this - by all means go see this film; especially if you've been so fortunate as to never have experienced this kind of tragedy yourself. And when you do see it, give some thought in the future to the fact that, in this country, we spend more money advertising beer than we do fighting lethal childhood diseases.

Please change the poster of the movie, it doesn't reflect the movie for what it really is. I didn't think that I'll be watching a dramatic feel good movie. I was surprised. Brendan's and Harrison's acting is superb, the dialogs are incredible and the story... the story is a familiar one. Parents who try by extraordinary measures to save their kids' lives who suffer from a deadly illness. Sure, it's a familiar story, but this is worth watching. Engaging, fascinating and no dull moments. I didn't want the movie to end since it made me feel so good. Don't be surprised if you'll even shed a tear.

So ignore the poster and watch this movie if you like heart warming movies.

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.