Extraordinary Measures

There's nothing wrong with sugary-sweet medical dramas based on true stories, but, for the most part, they belong on television, where treacly, feel-good stories about parents who won't quit on their sick children are quite effective. Think of EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES as a two-part episode of Grey's Anatomy (minus the sex) or an especially well-cast Lifetime movie. What's usually lacking in those made-for-TV medical dramas is a rude, loner scientist a la Ford's Dr. Stonehill, who treats everyone poorly and prefers to work alone with classic rock blaring so loudly that the other lowly researchers can't concentrate. Ford's curmudgeonly doctor is a composite of several scientists, which makes his off-putting personality all the more incomprehensible; he seems to have given birth to a performance by Tommy Lee Jones and Al Pacino, only it just doesn't work.

Fraser and Russell are appropriately optimistic and determined as the parents of Pompe-stricken children, and Droeger is adorable as a sweet and fierce little fighter. Director Tom Vaughan also perfectly cast the supporting players, like David Clennon (Once and Again and thirtysomething) and Jared Harris (Mad Men and Fringe), who expertly play a venture capitalist and pharmaceutical executive, respectively. But Vaughan forgot to tone down Ford's performance into a relatable character. Yes, this is a touching film, but it's predictable and, in the case of Ford's character, unbearable. Occasional laughs and tears aside, there's nothing memorable about what should be a remarkable story.