Talking Pictures

Tony Toscano reviews “Extraordinary Measures”

Extraordinary Measures is based on the true story of John Crowley who took on the challenge of finding a cure for the genetic disorder plaguing his children.

The film stars Brendan Fraser as John Crowley, who risked career suicide and bankruptcy to save his children and others suffering from a disease, called “Pompeii Syndrome.”

Brendan Fraser gives an earnest performance in his role as a father driven to succeed by the ticking clock of his children’s illness. Fraser is both charming and passionate as he multitasks between the science of cure (which is a slow and frustrating process) and corporate politics (which is at times an even slower process).

Harrison Ford plays the crusty Dr Robert Stonehill, who is the leading research scientist working on Pompeii Syndrome.

Ford plays Stonehill as cartoonish and stereotypical. We know he’s a brilliant non-conformist scientist because he drives a truck and eats hamburgers at a local biker dive. In the lab he’s grouchy, self-centered and rude to his fellow researchers. Yet when introduced to the children he’s trying to cure, he becomes a wise grandfather type.

As the story progresses, the two begin to work together with Fraser handling the corporate end and Ford attending to the science. Both men never miss an opportunity to preach on the value of corporate partnerships or how science needs time. There are a lot of speeches in this film.

Extraordinary Measures is a sweet film about pleasant people. But the movie never lives up to its title as neither of the principals take any kind of extraordinary measure to cure this disease.

Neither Crowley or Stonehill ever really leave their comfort zones. Crowley was a vice president of a pharmaceutical company to begin with, and Stonehill just transferred his research from one lab to another.

What we end up with is a day to day look at the pharmaceutical industry and how some drugs are brought to clinical study and trial.

Finally, the problem with Extraordinary Measures really isn’t the film’s overall sweetness, preaching or acting. The problem is the film feels like a made for TV movie with each scene constructed for the small screen.

Extraordinary Measures ends up as a nice film and rates a C+. It carries a PG rating.

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