This article is about a 2010 film. Extraordinary Measures . The film chronicles the couple's inspirational battle to find a cure for the terrible disease that affects their children. We have approved almost $2 million this year extraordinary measures. Together, this unlikely pair face impossible odds as they battle the entire medical establishment and time itself to find a cure before its too late. Myozyme, a drug developed for treating Pompe disease, was simultaneously approved for sale by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. Note to TV networks: If youre looking to break into theaters, its probably unwise to start out with a programmatic, by-the-book TV movie that implies your new theatrical-film imprint will be playing things safe and bland. The screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs is based on Geeta Anand's book The Cure (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN9780060734398). Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. "I thought there were smarter and better people than me who could do this. And no wonder. If only it were that simple. Extraordinary Measures would seem to have everything going for it: A touching story (based on the best-selling book The Cure) inspired by true events about a father's great lengths to save his kids' lives. The film opened at #8 on its opening weekend, taking in $6 million. "I have a tiny little plaque on my desk which my mom gave me the week I started that tiny company. Extraordinary Measures is a 2010 American medical drama film starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, and Keri Russell. Despair. Is "Extraordinary Measures" based on a book? The "suggestive moment" involves a very brief scene when the Crowleys' personal nurse interrupts them during a moment of intimacy; though nothing is shown and it's intended for laughs, it's completely extraneous. Also starring Golden Globe winner Kerri Russell, Extraordinary Measures is a true story of the power of love and faith against impossible odds. The film remained in theaters for four weeks, earning $12 million. Extraordinary Measures, based on events in the life of John Crowley and his family, dramatizes the father's quest to find a cure for Pompe disease, a relatively rare genetic condition that afflicts two of his three children. As anyone with an understanding of "orphan drugs" and the pharmaceutical industry knows, miracle cures don't simply develop overnight. Research Grants: This year we received 41 researcher-initiated proposals, nearly double the number in a typical year. "Not once, during all our visits to the hospital or meetings with financiers, scientists and drug companies, did we imagine that a movie would be made about our lives.". [19], Jef Akst, writing for the journal The Scientist, stated that the film is good depiction of the "hard to swallow fiscal issues of drug development."[20]. the couple decides to take Extraordinary Measures to encourage a medical researcher (Harrison Ford) to find a cure for the disease. Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell, Harrison Ford. Grief. Incomprehension. Patrick (Diego Velazquez) gets some encouragement from Mom. Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, Keri Russell. Fraser has little to do but look angsty and determined; Keri Russell, as his wife, is an afterthought. Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox! With Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, Keri Russell, Meredith Droeger. John and Aileen raise money to help Stonehill's research and the required clinical trials. Director Tom Vaughan Writers Robert Nelson Jacobs Geeta Anand (book "The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million - And Bucked the Medical Establishment - in a Quest to Save His Children") Stars Overall, the movie is dry and repetitive when it needs to be emotional and compelling. For information about Pompe disease, see: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pompe/pompe.htm, http://genetics.emory.edu/docs/LSDC%20docs/Pompe%20dx.pdf. Extraordinary Measures. Good medical drama with an excellent performance by Harrison Ford - but could've have been much better Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Trailer Failure: Extraordinary Measures, Crazy on the Outside, and Bitch Slap. Ultimately, the goal is to restore the function of the abnormal gene in the diaphragm muscle and possibly the phrenic nerve, which shuttles impulses from the brain to the diaphragm via the spinal cord. Extraordinary Measures is a 2010 American-English language movie, directed by Tom Vaughan and written by Robert Nelson Jacobs, Geeta Anand (book "The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million - And Bucked the Medical Establishment - in a Quest to Save His Children"). The purpose was to simplify things while adding suspense, having Crowley butt heads against one scientist instead of several, but it seems disingenuous in the postscript of the film to assert that "Stonehill's" research continues. Conversions credited to women evangelists sharing the good news one-on-one in conversations. File:Extraordinary measures poster2 4463.jpg. The movie's tagline reads, "Don't hope for a miracle. (Or alternately, that you cant see past the stereotyped version of your own bailiwick.) Extraordinary Measures. Two high-profile actors in Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford. So is the movie, which keeps its head while digging into your heart. Inspired by the book "The Cure" by Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Greeta Anand. Internet Service Terms Early on, after Crowley quits his job, we're prepared to follow a family struggling to pay for medical bills without health insurance. Together, this unlikely . While their older son, John Jr., then 3, was healthy, his newborn brother, Patrick, also suffered. ", The quote captures the spirit of Winston Churchill?a>? I recently had the pleasure of renting a DVD copy of the based on true events drama Extraordinary Measures (2010), in which Harrison Ford turns out a very dramatic and moving role (didn't you guys wonder where he went after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?). Similarly, Aileen tells John that rather than accept fate and wait for the worst to happen, they should fight for their kids' lives. A father goes to great lengths to save the lives of his two children suffering from a life-threatening disease; if only the movie were as extraordinary as the true story that inspired it. While the enzyme replacement therapy now available treats the symptoms of the disease, it does not address the underlying problem of the missing gene. Byrne believed that by transferring corrective genes to Pompe patients, physicians might be able to free them from ventilators and improve their quality of life. John is driven to find a cure for his kids. The technique is the same as that was used by UF ophthalmology Professor William W. Hauswirth and his colleagues, including Byrne, to improve the vision of patients with an incurable form of blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis type 2. Those ambitions have a good chance of being realized. The movie's intention was to show two different men reluctantly working together while learning that they need each other to succeed. Their organs grossly enlarged because of the increased strain shrank to regular size. PG. Loosely inspired by Geeta Anand's book The Cure, it follows the story of real-life father John Crowley (played by Brendan Fraser), who quit his finance-sector job and founded a charity and a . A decade ago, UF molecular geneticist Barry Byrne was just beginning to develop methods for transferring missing genes into people with Pompe disease, a rare form of muscular dystrophy. Notable among these is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease. The veteran actor brings to life another curmudgeonly character who, once his prickly exterior is stripped away, is. In the new film Extraordinary Measures, Harrison Ford does what he does best. Private devotion, community service, and entertainment arent what the local congregation is for. Sadly, the Stonehill concoction backfires and derails much of the movie. A timely subject with health care on the minds of millions. "Extraordinary Measures" opens in theaters Friday. What does it tell you about John's outlook about his kids' illness? Astonishingly, the medicine worked. The events have been condensed from a five-year span into a single year, simplifying the timeline (measured by Megan's impending 9th birthday) while attempting to infuse the story with suspense. Brendan Fraser as John Crowley, Harrison Ford as Dr. Stonehill. [5], In the film, the children are 9 and 7 years old. "[13] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 0100 reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 45 based on 33 reviews. How much do Crowley and his wife give up for the well-being of their children? If they celebrated their 10th birthdays, it would be a miracle. Finally knowing was a huge relief, she says. It's that you feel, at the end, that you have learned something about the way the world works. Empowered & Engaged Community: Scores of volunteers across North America have stepped up to lead 33+ chapters. I still have flare-ups, but I am not as tired and have had some slight improvements in endurance and mobility., www.peds.ufl.edu/research/teams/byrne.asp. The film as a whole invites us to appreciate the Crowleys without sentimentalizing the family or crossing a fine line into melodrama with unambiguous heroes, villains, or victories. Imagine the improvement in the lives of some of these children if we can free them from ventilators, he says. John, an advertising executive, contacts Robert Stonehill, a researcher in Nebraska who has done innovative research for an enzyme treatment for the rare disease. With the support of his wife, John ditches his career and teams with unconventional specialist, Dr. Robert Stonehill to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save the lives of his children. Nevertheless, Crowley gives it his all: "I can't just sit there while my kids are dying." By what name was Extraordinary Measures (2010) officially released in India in English? Based on Geeta Anand's book The Cure, Extraordinary Measures is inspired by the true story of John Crowley (played here by Brendan Fraser), whose dogged attempts to find a cure for a neuromuscular .