Would you take "Extraordinary Measures?"
James Willingham
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Entertainment
Starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, while directed by Tom Vaughn, this film is a cinematic event that makes the audience sympathetic and aware of Pompe's disease. This killer disease affects children and decreases a lifespan to an average of nine years. As explained, this film is based on a true story where courage, bravery, and determination are the keys to saving one couple's children. Focused around a businessman and a biochemist, the movie encapsulates many people on a surprisingly twisted and brutal road to find an enzyme capable of saving children's lives.
Ford's portrayal of Dr. Stonehill is strikingly accurate, for an eccentric scientist that has spent the majority of his adult life working around chemicals in a laboratory setting is sure to produce a socially awkward individual. When Mr. Crowley (Fraser) first lands in Nebraska to meet with the quiet and weird scientist, the audience catches a glimpse of a very private man that likes his solidarity to the point of becoming an outcast in society. This is also clear when Stonehill refuses to turn down his music at work, further alienating himself from his fellow co-workers. Still, Stonehill captures the audience as a man who clearly values his life's work above all else. Partnering together makes for an interesting work dynamic, as the two different personalities clash ever so frequently. Crowley is here for one reason, to make his son and daughter live a full life, even though as Stonehill affirms, they will not be cured, and thus confined to wheelchairs indefinitely.
With the setbacks that occur throughout the 105-minute movie, the audience has a terrifying idea of what this man and his wife are going through trying to save their kids. Pompe's disease is ferocious, leading to enlarged internal organs and a severe lack of muscle strength. This is due to an enzyme responsible for breaking apart sugar (glycogen) molecules not being present in the body. The fact that this film is indeed based on real events hits that much closer to home, especially, one can imagine, for those unfortunate parents. Perhaps a negative for "Extraordinary Measures," is that Fraser seems a bit distant to acting with such an emotional burden, but this is easy to imagine possible in even the best of actors. Until having kids riddled with this disease, no one can fully appreciate the horrors of parenthood. That's what this film attempts to capture, and in many respects it does.
The business side of the movie is emphasized more so than the family setting, but in many ways complements it. The mother (Keri Russell) is noticeably absent through many parts of the film, showing that the writers chose to focus on the fatherly figure. Having been shown to deal with the majority of the pain and burden, Crowley falls to the floor in his office after having his proposal rejected - a proposal that would allow his kids to start clinical trials of an experimental enzyme. This is the emotionally negative climax in the film, where even the most stoic persons can feel down. Still, life goes on, and eventually things take a turn for the positive. The question left to many after viewing would undoubtedly be "how far would you go to save your children?" Would you take "Extraordinary Measures?"
Ford's portrayal of Dr. Stonehill is strikingly accurate, for an eccentric scientist that has spent the majority of his adult life working around chemicals in a laboratory setting is sure to produce a socially awkward individual. When Mr. Crowley (Fraser) first lands in Nebraska to meet with the quiet and weird scientist, the audience catches a glimpse of a very private man that likes his solidarity to the point of becoming an outcast in society. This is also clear when Stonehill refuses to turn down his music at work, further alienating himself from his fellow co-workers. Still, Stonehill captures the audience as a man who clearly values his life's work above all else. Partnering together makes for an interesting work dynamic, as the two different personalities clash ever so frequently. Crowley is here for one reason, to make his son and daughter live a full life, even though as Stonehill affirms, they will not be cured, and thus confined to wheelchairs indefinitely.
With the setbacks that occur throughout the 105-minute movie, the audience has a terrifying idea of what this man and his wife are going through trying to save their kids. Pompe's disease is ferocious, leading to enlarged internal organs and a severe lack of muscle strength. This is due to an enzyme responsible for breaking apart sugar (glycogen) molecules not being present in the body. The fact that this film is indeed based on real events hits that much closer to home, especially, one can imagine, for those unfortunate parents. Perhaps a negative for "Extraordinary Measures," is that Fraser seems a bit distant to acting with such an emotional burden, but this is easy to imagine possible in even the best of actors. Until having kids riddled with this disease, no one can fully appreciate the horrors of parenthood. That's what this film attempts to capture, and in many respects it does.
The business side of the movie is emphasized more so than the family setting, but in many ways complements it. The mother (Keri Russell) is noticeably absent through many parts of the film, showing that the writers chose to focus on the fatherly figure. Having been shown to deal with the majority of the pain and burden, Crowley falls to the floor in his office after having his proposal rejected - a proposal that would allow his kids to start clinical trials of an experimental enzyme. This is the emotionally negative climax in the film, where even the most stoic persons can feel down. Still, life goes on, and eventually things take a turn for the positive. The question left to many after viewing would undoubtedly be "how far would you go to save your children?" Would you take "Extraordinary Measures?"
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