Extraordinary Measures (2010)

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I honestly don't like Brendan Fraser much.  The first time I saw him in a movie was years ago and it was probably the most awkward and strange movie I have ever seen, and his character is batshit insane throughout the whole thing.  This has tainted my views of him for life I'm afraid.  Harrison Ford on the other hand is a badass, so when I heard he was in this movie, I had to pick it up. 

Extraordinary Measures is about a businessman (Brendan Fraser) who has two kids with the muscle deteriorating disease Pompe (not to be confused with the Volcano, Pompeii).  As his daughter nears her 9th birthday, and the end of the overall lifespan for kids with this disease, he decides to drop everything and focus 100% on a cure for the illness.  Unfortunately, all sorts of medical company nonsense is going on, so he takes matters into his own hands and opens a biotech institute where he recruits the grumpy old Pompe specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill to do the actual sciency stuff. 

I honestly didn't expect to be entertained in the slightest with this one, but I actually found something to enjoy. Don't watch it seeking any action, it's drama in the deepest sense. Brendan Fraser plays an awesome desperate dad and Harrison Fords grouchy old guy persona is top notch.  It seems almost unrealistic how quickly everything got funded and started up, but to my complete surprise, it's actually based on a true story.  The time lines in the film going from non-profit organization to full on biotech facility were actually realistic!

So why can't I get rich this quickly? Whoever taught this guy business is a genius!

Extraordinary Measures gets a 4/5 for motivating me to be less lazy. 

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