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Is it worth $10? Yes
In the surprisingly effective “Extraordinary Measures,” two action movie stars face an insurmountable foe, and just about every step they take is met with resistance and difficulty. For Harrison Ford (“Indiana Jones”) and Brendan Fraser (“The Mummy”), this is nothing new. But what is new is the villain, which is more deadly and dangerous than any they’ve ever faced.
It’s called Pompe disease, and it’s a rare genetic disorder in which the inability to break down glycogen (loosely, this is a sugar that’s naturally produced by the body for energy) causes muscle weakness throughout the body, affecting the skeletal muscles, diaphragm, nervous system, liver, and heart. It’s often found in children, and is similar to other muscular dystrophy disorders such as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
For John Crowley (Fraser), the disease has been devastating. Two of his children, Megan (Meredith Droeger) and Patrick (Diego Velazquez), suffer from it, and it will soon be the cause of their deaths if Crowley isn’t able to get them help. His search leads him to Dr. Robert Stonehill (Ford), who believes he’s found a way to treat the disease but lacks the funding to complete his research.
And so Crowley and his wife, Aileen (Keri Russell), lead a fundraising campaign in a race against time, and the story takes off from there with family drama, corporate greed and plenty of close calls. There’s a fair amount of medical jargon thrown around, but director Tom Vaughan never gets lost in the science – this is a human story first and foremost, and Vaughan does a nice job of giving the movie energy and suspense without letting it get too melodramatic.
Vaughan should also thank Fraser and Ford for their fine performances. Each has successfully done drama before, and the experience shows. Fraser (“Crash”) never goes over-the-top desperate dad crazy, a smart move given that Crowley’s business sense has a lot to do with saving his children. And Ford (“Regarding Henry”) may do a lot of yelling here, but Stonehill is always a likeable old crank with a good heart.
Touching as it is, “Extraordinary Measures” is not easy to watch. Parents of children under the age of ten will especially have a hard time seeing Megan and Patrick suffer, and the frustrations of corporate bureaucracy – though smart from a business perspective – are at times infuriating in that they contradict the best interests of the children.
Ultimately, though, the movie, which is based on a true story, is rewarding and uplifting. It will also heighten awareness of Pompe and numerous diseases similar to it, and in doing so it may help save the lives of afflicted children. Fraser and Ford have given us plenty of bang for our bucks in the past, so kudos to them for finding a story with meaning and heart.
Did you know?
As of Fall 2009, Megan and Patrick Crowley are still alive and are 12 and 11 years old, respectively. Worldwide, it’s estimated that roughly 5,000-10,000 people suffer from Pompe disease.
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