Extraordinary Measures (www.the-usher.com)

"I already work around the clock!"

For the Crowley family, living with the extremely rare Pompe disease was a daily battle. With the genetic disease claiming the health of both Megan (Droeger) and Patrick (Velazquez) and with no Pompe child ever living past nine years old, time was running out for John (Fraser) and Aileen (Russell). With normal treatment having run its course and the doctors saying that both children will have less that one year to life, John takes it on himself to find a solution. That solution comes in the shape of genetic scientist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Ford), who is working on a theory that could actually slow the development of the disease and in some circumstances cure it. The problem is that he needs money to take the theory into testing and John might just be the right person to get it.

True, human stories have driven cinema for decades but can the story of a father’s drive to raise money to save his children take you on an emotional journey?

Based on the novel “The Cure: How a Father raised $100 Million – And Bucked the Medical Establishment – in a Quest to Save His Children” by Geeta Anand, the slightly shorter titled ‘Extraordinary Measures’ is one of the those movies that announces that it is based on true events. This is usually a message to cinemagoers to inform you that you will be taken on an emotional roller coaster but learn a valuable life lesson on the way. ‘Extraordinary Measures’ does just that but the emotion journey is one worth taking.

The story revolves around John Crowley, a father with two children suffering from a rare genetic disease called Pompe or acid maltase deficiency. The film informs us that children with the disease rarely live past the age of nine and John’s daughter Megan has just turned eight. With the family’s doctors telling them that they can’t do any more and Megan and their younger son Patrick’s condition starting to get worse, he decides to approach the one man who he thinks can save them, Dr. Robert Stonehill. A university medical scientist, Stonehill has a theory that might just slow down the disease, prevent or even cure it but he has never taken a theory into medical production due to the lack of funding. After meeting him, John promises to raise the money and the film follows that journey. While some of the details have been changed to add a little drama to the production but this is a journey you will be glad you have taken.

The reason for this is the story revolves around two children and the willingness of a parent to do anything to give them a change. Everyone can connect with this, in one way or the other, and the performance of Meredith Droeger as Megan Crowley, makes this connection even stronger. You want her to get well as she plays the wheelchair bound child with a real passion for life. The performances of Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford as John Crowley and Dr. Robert Stonehill also make the film all the more watchable. In fact this is Harrison Ford’s best role ‘What Lies Beneath’ in 2000, as he plays the scientist with no people skills with an aplomb that we haven’t seen a many a year.

‘Extraordinary Measures’ might be a movie loosely based on true events but it is one that will be emotionally attached to. With good performances and an emotional story to tell, the film is one of the better true stories and one that you will enjoy.

Featurette
Deleted Scenes

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2010