Review of Extraordinary Measures (2010) by Colin O — 20 Jun 2010

Desperate to extend the lives of his two sick children, businessman John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) joins forces with maverick doctor Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) to find a cure for Pompe disease. Sufferers rarely live above 9 years old, and his children are fast approaching that.

It's a sickly, shmaltzy, TV movie of the week story that offers little to all audiences. Featuring Harrison Ford as a rock and roll listening, no prisoner taking scientific researcher, he just about stops short of shouting 'I'm a doctor dammit! I don't have to explain my methods!' throughout the entire time he's on screen.

Perculiarly, Ford always seems to be doing these deeds for his own personal and financial benefit, his compassion unconvincing, creating a strange atmosphere of distrust for these characters. Look at the cover; it's the same scowl he carries throughout the movie, looking disinterested constantly. Brendan Fraser does try to raise the quality as the father trying to keep his family alive, but he's a bit wet. It's a big bland mess that fails in its message that the US needs drug reform. Beyond ordinary.