The “Extraordinary Measures” website opens to a picture of Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford fiercely walking down a narrow corridor in suit jackets with the desperately clich? tagline: “Don’t Hope for a Miracle, Make One.” For those trying to figure out what the insufferably vague title “Extraordinary Measures” could possibly allude to, you will have to at least watch the preview. Until then, you would never guess the Fraser-Ford-fierce-walk picture had anything to do with finding a cure to glycogen storage disease — also known as Pompe disease. However, until you see the movie, you also will never really know how getting pharmaceutical drugs passed by the FDA could be such a frustratingly and ethically defunct process.
John (Brendan Fraser, “Inkheart”) and Aileen Crowley (Kerri Russell, “Bedtime Stories”) are parents of three children, two of whom have Pompe disease. Such a disease causes muscle weakness and children like Megan and Patrick Crowley (newcomers Meredith Droeger and Diego Velazquez) to resort to electronic wheel chairs, heart monitors and constant medical attention. Not to mention the emotional stress it causes the parents and the Crowley’s third child.
As explained in the beginning of the movie, children born with Pompe disease usually do not live past the age of nine. Patrick is six. Meredith has just turned eight. John and Aileen are becoming restless and worried.
John Crowley gives up his rising career as a mid-level pharmaceutical executive. He puts his family at financial risk and he predictably goes against all odds. But it all seems too successful. We already know Fraser will “make a miracle.” And he does so with the help of reluctant and eccentric scientist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford, “Crossing Over”), who has a theoretical cure.
Boasting notions of family-friendly moral inspiration, “Extraordinary Measures” is formulaic. However, on a closer look it seems to examine the potent business of medicine. Adapted from Geeta Anand’s book, “The Cure,” by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs (“The Water Horse,” “Chocolat”) and director Tom Vaughan (“What Happens in Vegas”), “Extraordinary Measures” exposes the capitalistic ruthlessness behind biotechnology.
As CBS Films’ first release, it accomplishes exactly what any family-PG movie would. The movie is undoubtedly a tearjerker. Crowley and Stonehill’s relentless attempts to find funding for the cure to Pompe disease run them into multiple financial and legal obstacles. It is when we see how a commercial lab is built and run that Jacobs and Vaughan offer any sense of excitement or originality.
The plot of the movie offers no surprises. However, Ford and Droeger offer two of the stronger performances. In some ways, Droeger’s character felt it necessary to counter Fraser’s awfully bland and forced emotions. Ford’s constantly infuriated ego adds both humor and honest personality — think of Indiana Jones’ affected ego — somehow it works and fits his character. However, Fraser and Ford’s relationship becomes yet another clich?: two incompatible characters come together to find a cure.
Russell’s performance adds comfort as she exudes a more realistic role as a parent when compared to Fraser. Yet, her adorable J. Crew-esque look is all too perfect. She takes a backseat to her husband’s agenda. She rarely shows any signs of discontent or emotional distress, which seems odd when taking care of three children, two of whom are in wheel chairs and slowly loosing control over their muscles. It’s unrealistic. She does add to the optimistic and inspirational tone that this movie drives home, so in some respect she does her job well, but does little to nothing in offering a real sense of what mothering two very sick children might be like.
The movie is sheer Hollywood. Considering CBS created an advertisement campaign so obtrusive, it’s no wonder the movie opened this weekend with a dismal $7 million .
Without its heavily weighted cast, “Extraordinary Measures” could easily be made into a TV-movie. If CBS had aspired for something more than tear-jerking its new audiences around with PG writing, “Extraordinary Measures” might have a chance at actually being inspirational.
1 1/2 stars out of 5.
