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Title: Extraordinary Measures
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is only mild language in thie film. I still expect kids won't find too much of interest here. Recommended for ages 6 and up. |
“Extraordinary Measures” strikes me as a movie that was made for TV but got a theatrical release based on the fact that it contains two stars that are somewhat reliable box office draws. This may sound like a major strike against the film, but it’s really only a minor one. Really. The main problem with TV movies is that they are predictable and unsurprising. This makes sense since movies like these have sponsors, built in target audiences, and only have one night to get the numbers to justify their expense. With the exception of some HBO movies this is how made-for-TV movies play out.
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The good thing about some of these TV movies is that they know their target audience so well they can excel in catering to that audience, no matter how predictable the script is. “Extraordinary Measures” measures is about a man named John Crowley (Brendan Fraiser), a medicine executive who is both a business man and a family man. He has three kids, two of which have Pompe. This means that those two kids are likely to die by the time they reach the age of nine. After a hospital scare with his oldest daughter, John seeks out Dr. Robert Stonehill (Academy Award-nominee Harrison Ford).
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Dr. Stonewall is an old eccentric who works at a college in Nebraska. His research on Pompe is miles ahead of the medical fields research, but no one will fund it. Besides, he’s difficult to get along with. John comes in to help raise the money and...yep, this is a Hallmark Channel movie come to the big screen. Well, actually, it’s a CBS movie brought to the theater, but let’s not get wrapped up in technicalities. This is all rudimentary stuff anyway. Chances are you already know where all this goes anyway. A story like this is on autopilot all the way through. You expect the main characters to go through struggles to get funding. You expect there to be friction between the two.
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You expect the sponsoring company to get in the way of John’s kids getting the treatment they need. None of this comes as a surprise. What edges this to a passing grade are the little things. John may be a dedicated business man, but his family understands. When he is late for his daughters birthday there are smiles that he made it at all, rather then a scolding that he should have left work earlier to be on time. The corporate CEO gets a moment to show that he is not a heartless jerk, and that company rules are there for a reason. When John goes behind the companies back to get his kids into a program his bosses complaints are actually very reasonable. So yes, the movie succeeds however modestly. With better movie dramas in theaters though it may be best to wait for this to air on TV, where it will likely stand out from the competition.
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