Extraordinary measures
Extraordinary
Measures a film starring Brendan Fraser,
Harrison Ford,
and Keri Russell. It is distributed by CBS Films The
film is based on the true story of John and Aileen Crowley, whose
children had Pompe's disease. The film was shot in St. Paul, Oregon,
Portland and Beaverton, Oregon as well as Vancouver, Washington. It is
the first film to go into production for CBS Films, the film division
of CBS Corporation.
The film centers on the (Brendan Fraser) Crowleys' two dying children
aged 9 and 7. In real life, most children with Pompe disease would die
before age 2. There is also a juvenile and adult form which can present
at almost any age. Those in the real story were 15 months and 7 days
old when they got sick. They were 5 and 4 years old when treatment
began.Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs from a nonfiction book by the
journalist Geeta
Anand, the film is also an examination of how medical research is
conducted and financed.
In Extraordinary Measures, Ford manages to keep some of that wry
rebellious Indiana Jones energy as he plays Dr. Robert Stonehill, a
fringe researcher whose findings just might help keep alive the two
children of John Crowley, played with heart and sobriety by Brendan
Fraser. Extraordinary Measures is based on a true story, one chronicled
in the gripping book The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million--and
Bucked the Medical Establishment--in a Quest to Save His Children, by
Wall Street Journal reporter Geeta Anand.
The cast is excellent, with Ford tamping down his occasional urge to
vamp for the camera, and Fraser grounded in his first true adult role.
The supporting cast is also strong, including Keri Russell as Crowley's
frantic wife, facing the near-certain death of both of her children;
Dee Wallace, Jared Harris, and Courtney B. Vance also appear as strong
supporting characters. Director Tom Vaughan switches gears from his
wildly successful romp What Happens in Vegas to turn in a crisply paced
and suspenseful family drama. As Crowley and Dr. Stonehill team up to
raise money to support Stonehill's research, Crowley says, "Who's going
to be half as motivated as the dad who's trying to save his own kids?"
Extraordinary Measures brings to mind similar dramas like Lorenzo's
Oil, but its heart and drive are unique to the story of the Crowleys, a
very special family indeed.
