Film Review: Making Money from Research

Is this art imitating life?

"But 'Extraordinary Measures' unusually slants to John — in Fraser’s most impressive performance to date — going out of his way to show his new corporate masters how they can make money from the research."

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/schlock_doc_KTJ9WFVZO9WuXoJ2Q4aGVJ

'Extraordinary' schlock doc

Good intentions don’t make Harrison Ford’s bitter pill go down any easier

New York Post

Last Updated: 7:17 AM, January 27, 2010

Posted: 12:58 AM, January 22, 2010

You don’t often see a Hollywood movie taking a positive view of big business — but “Extraordinary Measures” does just that. Still, despite bona fide big-screen stars Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, it’s basically a tearjerking TV disease-of-the-week flick on the big screen.<p> </p><br> In this feature inspired by real events, Fraser plays John Crowley, an Oregon marketing executive whose 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son are dying of Pompe disease, a rare form of muscular dystrophy that claims almost all of its victims before the age of 9.<p> </p><br> John decides to quit his job and seek a cure by forming a biotech company with Dr. Robert Stonehill (Ford), a brilliant but extremely crotchety academic researcher who lacks funding to develop the enzyme infusion therapy on which he is working.<p> </p><br> When the investors threaten to pull the plug after a few months, John sells the company to a much larger corporation at a huge profit — much to the horror of Robert, who fears losing the independence by answering to a profitdriven entity.<p> </p><br> Most films today would tend to be on Robert’s side.<p> </p><br> But “Extraordinary Measures” unusually slants to John — in Fraser’s most impressive performance to date — going out of his way to show his new corporate masters how they can make money from the research.<p> </p><br> The film has John — seen enjoying a vast new home on Puget Sound — explaining that victims of the disease would need very expensive treatments for the rest of their (extended) lives.<p> </p><br> It doesn’t mention, though, that the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 provides generous financial incentives to firms that develop drugs that help very small numbers of people, such as those afflicted with Pompe.<p> </p><br> In real life, John Crowley’s two children, still living, were much younger than they are in the film.<p> </p><br> And Ford’s character — slightly overplayed and treated as an eccentric prone to alienating his colleagues — is a composite of several scientists.<p> </p><br> Keri Russell underplays an underwritten role as Fraser’s long-suffering spouse.<p> </p><br> As the film builds to a credulity-testing climax, there is less schmaltz than you might expect from the screenwriter of “Chocolat” — though the filmmakers seldom hesitate to milk the Crowley kids and other Pompe-afflicted children for tears.<p> </p><br> Director Tom Vaughan (“What Happens in Vegas”) directs in basic TV style, with loads of expository dialogue and monotonous camerawork that adds nothing to the story.<p> </p><br> “Extraordinary Measures” is basically “Lorenzo’s Oil” without the earlier film’s visual flair.<p> </p><br> lou.lumenick@nypost.com<p> </p><br>

Lou Lumenick