EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (USA 2009) **
Directed by Tom Vaughan

As the film opens, the audience learn that the Crowleys John (Brendan Fraser) and Aileen (Keri Russell) have two children with the rare Pompe disease.  In desperation, John seeks the services of Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), a pioneer and maverick in the finding of an enzyme cure for the disease. 
But Dr. Stonehill not only needs a tremendous amount of money for funding, but is an extremely difficult person to work with.  Ford is executive producer for this film.  He has obviously given himself a big, feisty juicy role to fill.  Dr. Stonehill is the angry, screaming and uncontrollable employee who happens to be always right.

Brit or Scots Tom Vaughan hired as the film’s director is not known for dramas.  His most notable film was the British comedy STARTER FOR 10 followed by the Hollywood comedy WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS.  In many of the scenes of EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, there is humour waiting to pounce but never does.  For example at the film’s start, Megan is told by her mother that the husband is doing everything he can do get to her birthday in time as the film inter-cuts to him missing a taxi.  The over-dramatization of many scenes undermines the story’s credibility.  Why does John decide leave for Nebraska right in the middle of a company important product launch meeting or why must the company guard aim a gun at John when he is discovered trespassing?

Though inspired by real events, most of the story is fiction.  The Harrison Ford character never existed and the made up character is ridiculously by played with the zest that Ford who must think that he could land an Oscar.  How both of the children beat the odds of living past the 8-year span while the scientists find the cure amidst defying odds is too incredible to believe.

Worst still Vaughan turns up the sappiness factor several notches.  Dozens of children with the Pompe disease are rounded up within very short notice to be present at the company so that the parents can break the hearts of the scientists forcing them to work together to get a cure.

Brendan Fraser does what he can with the lame script.  But Keri Russell is clearly at a loss with the most underwritten role, so far this year, of the mother who can do nothing but sit and wait for her husband and then agree with everything he has done.

It would have taken a lot (yes, had to say it but extraordinary measures) to save this film from such an awful script laden with clichés, overblown drama and sappiness.