Taking Extraordinary Measures

Here's the thing with the movie Extraordinary Measures. It's sappy. The narrative will tug at any concerned citizen with a heart: it's about a man defying expectations (and federal regulations) to savehis son and daughter who are literally withering away due to a fatally degenerative disease called Pompe.It's Lorenzo's Oil meets Erin Brockovich minus the big hair and mini-skirts.

Pompe Disease affects between 5,000 and 10,000 around the world. It's extremely rare. In 2006, the FDA approved the enzyme replacement therapy treatment that John Crowley fought through to clinical trial. Those given the treatment at birth can extend their life expectancies.

Brendan Fraser portrays John Crowley. His harried desperation is so frenetic you simply trust his passion and want him to get to the bottom of what it is, that is causing his children to become moreand more frail by the day.

To consider that the children Patrick and Megan may only live to be eight-years-old, at best, was enough for him to shelve his fat cat job at a pharmaceutical company and seek the aged wisdom of Dr. Robert Stonehill portrayed by Harrison Ford.

It's through John's tremendous research and access as a pharmaceutical executive that he gets to Stonehill. Ford seems to be firmly in his element, as a no nonsense (and we mean no nonsense, whatsoever) Nebraska-based research scientist who is more at home toiling in a lab breaking down an enzyme than in the company of friends.

The family invest everything in Stonehill's research, which they believe will cure the children. Now, emotionally and financially tied to his formula in failure or success, Stonehill and Crowley form an unlikely partnership, resulting in the creation of a $100 million genetics laboratory built from the ground up — specifically for finding the cure for Pompe.

After tussling with funding, digging through bureaucratic red tape, John's wife Aileen (played by a severely underused Keri Russell) you're left wondering just how did they family survive all these nail-biting situations? Through humor. John and Aileen anchor their stressful situation by focusing on the kid's happiness, even as John faces unemployment twice. His tenacity and Stonehill's specific development strategy gets a treatment secured.

Ford says he didn't want the film muddled down in scientist “talk” so laymen, which make up most audiences, will see what is being achieved without wanting to pass out.  But to be clear, the film depicts more than the quest to find a cure. It examines the strain it puts on a marriage, as well as the financial burden to receive effective treatment. To see a well-to-do family struggle in the quest for the best in medicine, reminds you just how severely flawed our healthcare system is.

If you are looking for dramatic compelling characters, I warn you this film is lighter than most films of a incredibly thought-provoking subject. Like I said, it's pretty sappy. But as I walked away from themovie, I couldn't help but repeat the thought, over and over “Where there's a will ... there's a way”

Photo courtesy CBS films