Photo by: BalitmoreSun.com
What happens when you mix a concerned, distressed father with a brilliant but apathetic scientist?
Results, which is the message of this great medical drama based on the true story of one Father’s struggle to prevent his children’s inevitable early death from Pompe, an incurable, genetic disease that deteriorates the muscles of the body until the patient dies, usually around age 9.
The story begins with John Crowley, played by the fantastic Brendan Fraser, who is employed by a medical sales company. Life is good until one of his children, 9-year-old Megan, is diagnosed with the disease. Crowley faces a difficult decision to either accept his children’s fate or fight for a miracle. He chooses the latter, and meets his miracle, Dr. Stonewall, played by the legendary Harrison Ford.
The rest of the film becomes a struggle against time as Stonewall and Crowley try to discover a cure before the disease takes John’s children, Meagan and Patrick, who are 9 and 6 years old respectively.
Fraser and Ford both provide stellar performances that really bring this film to life. This is easily Fraser’s best performance as he skillfully acts as the distressed father.
The viewer becomes involved in Crowley’s battle, as he is willing to do absolutely anything to save his children. Ford’s apathetic, egotistical and brilliant Dr. Stonewall provides an exceptional mirror character to the extremely emotional, selfless and sometimes foolish Crowley.
Ford does a wonderful job of showing the slow unbending of Dr. Stonewall, but not overplaying the emotional element into absurdity at the end of the film. We sense that Dr. Stonewall has in fact changed, but he is not an entirely different character.
The two children, Meagan and Patrick, acted by Meredith Droeger and Diego Velazquez, do a good job of playing two children with Pompe, and they do enough to make you believe it but not much more.
Their mother, Aileen Crowley, played by Keri Russell, provides a decent supporting performance.
However, her role is far overshadowed by Fraser’s performance.
Tom Vaughan directed “Extraordinary Measures”, and he does an excellent job controlling the emotions of the film by building them effectively through his talented actors, and allowing them to take precedence over the plot of the film.
“Extraordinary Measures” is a fantastic film, but you should consider bringing a box of tissues to the theater, as it will tug at your heartstrings from the opening moments to the closing resolution.
