Review of Extraordinary Measures (2010) by Nick G — 11 Jul 2010

The filmmakers knew several things when making the movie. They knew there's nothing more heart-wrenching than a sick kid in a wheelchair. They knew people like it when Harrison Ford yells or grumbles in a threatening manner.

They presumed that everyone watching would be an idiot, and that's why Brendan Fraser studies and highlights information about his children's genetic disorder that he should've known far earlier than the events in the film, and also why every time the film shifts locations we get a little subtitle telling us exactly where we are (even when the location in question features landmarks that are relatively easy to identify--such as the building formerly known as the Sears Tower--or when a location has been hinted at or described several times throughout the film).

I thought there were two things that really prevented the film from being great: first, we're inundated with scenes of Fraser spending time with his children, apparently to reinforce the idea that he really does care about them.

Out of everything in the movie, this is what we need the least convincing about. As a matter of fact, it would never even remotely cross your mind that he doesn't care about his children. But that doesn't stop them from trying to drive the idea into your head repeatedly.

These scenes also seem like an attempt to reinforce that, yup, the kids are sick, and, yeah, you're right, they'll die if a cure isn't found and boy will that be sad because Brendan is just such a good daddy and he's trying his best and you know what he's pretty good looking too.

The second problem is character motivations. The writers will have you think that a grumpy old scientist (who is described as being "eccentric" because he likes to listen to music while he works, spends a lot of time in the lab, and doesn't like being interrupted) will do what's right no matter what, no matter the cost, because of the overpowering heart-wrenching image of sick kids in wheelchairs.

There also seems to be an annoying underlying theme about how corporations are pure evil, but the sentiment is actually subverted at the end, which I'm not sure was intentional or if the filmmakers were just inept in their attempts to criticize corporate entities.