Extraordinary Measures   Starring: Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford and Keri Russell Sony Pictures Home Entertainment RRP: £19.99 CDR69191 Certificate: PG Available 21 June 2010

When John and Aileen Crowley discover that their second child, like their first, is suffering from, Pompe, a rare genetic defect which will kill them both, John decides to take matters into his own hands. Leaving his job he goes in search of the one doctor he feels can help him find a cure...

Extraordinary Measures (2010 - 1 hr, 40 min, 47 sec) is a film based on a true event. The film was written by Robert Nelson Jacobs, an adaptation of Geeta Anand’s book, it was directed by Tom Vaughan.

As a story of a family obsession in trying to find a cure for their children, it has much in common with Lorenzo's Oil (1992). John Crowley is played by Brendan Fraser, for once pulling in a dramatic performance as the father driven to found a foundation to raise the money for research all the while knowing that even if a cure can be found that it might be too late for his own children. It is this tight timeframe which drives much of the drama of the film, with John initially lying about the amount of money he has, when in fact he has none. Fraser turns in a believable character role, which stays just the right side of bittersweet to be believable.

Harrison Ford as research scientist Robert Stonehill plays his character with a practiced growl which first raised its head during Star Wars and has almost become his signature turn. Suckered in by John's promise of research funds, the two not only have to battle the scientific problems but also swim the infested waters of corporate funding. At one point John even blocks Stonehill from his own research just to get more funding. Through all of this Harrison growls and grimaces, but eventually forgives, allowing the character to show that he has a softer side.

Of the three leads Keri Russell has the least to do as Aileen Crowley. Initially she is aghast that John chucks in his job to look for a cure, before being relegated to a shoulder to cry on. This is in no way a reflection of Russell’s acting; this film is as much about the relationship between the two male leads as it is about finding a cure.

The DVD does come with a few extras in the form of five Deleted Scenes (9 min, 11 sec) which are worth a single watch, but they don’t really add that much to the film. Meet John Crowley (4 min, 36 sec) has a short interview with the real John Crowley, who talks about the disease and its impact on their family and finally Extraordinary Measures: The Power to Overcome (10 min, 18 sec) with the three main leads, amongst other, talking about the film, their characters and what being involved meant to them.

The film is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, as well as an English descriptive track.

Being the first CBS film, the overall effect is not unlike watching a superior television drama. On the plus side the film never descends into mawkishness, balancing well the needs for drama as well as the human aspect of the film. So, not a great film, but one that has its own pleasures.

7

Charles Packer