Friday, January 22, 2010

Extraordinary Measures

A made-for-TV movie on the big screen. Made for fans of sappy, heart-warming, feel-good movies.

Rated PG For thematic material, language and a mild suggestive moment.

Extraordinary Measures

I’m pretty sure this is dialogue happened when the CBS executives behind Extraordinary Measures were putting the movie together:

Producer #1 – “I think we have a pretty good made-for-television movie here.”

Producer #2 – “I agree. We’ve got Brendan Fraser cast as a lead after all!”

Producer #1 – “I know! It’s great! Who do you think we could get to play the supporting role?”

Producer #2 – “Not sure. Hey! I dare you to ask Harrison Ford!”

Producer #1 – “You’re on!”

And when Harrison Ford actually accepted the role, they were forced to put it on the big screen. The end result is a poorly crafted movie fit only for television.

Although the film is based on a true-story – a story that is pretty incredible and powerful – the way it is told and made takes the heart and emotion right out of it.

Extraordinary Measures tells the story of a father (Fraser) willing to do whatever it takes to find a cure for a form of autism known as Pompe Disease, a disease that two of his three children have. As both sick children get closer to the age of mortality, their symptoms worsen, so their father takes a lea of faith, quits his job and searches for a miracle at the hands of a little-known doctor (Ford). The majority of the movie is spent showing you how they financially put his untested theoretical research into practice to the point where they could start a clinical trial.

Just like most feel-good movies, after only seeing a few minutes of the movie, you know exactly where Extraordinary Measures is going to end. The typical clichés in character and plot are all there, making it a gruelingly long and painful experience. Instead of unraveling in a heart-felt manner, from the movie’s opening sequence, it’s overly manipulative.

If you are in the mood for a sad-yet-hopeful movie about trials involving families and disease, I suggest you rent My Sister’s Keeper – although it’s got some corny moments, it’s a far more emotion and powerful movie without all of the unnecessary manipulation.

Photo credit: CBS Films

1 1/2 out of 5

blog comments powered by Disqus