I have never heard of Pompe's Disease. It is something I'm lucky not to have encountered! It's a rare genetic disorder that results into the gradual muscular degeneration of the patient involved - from the liver, to the lungs; from the voluntary muscles, then the heart. Children afflicted with it eventually die by age 2, although those who survive will invariably pass away at 9 years old.
"Extraordinary Measures" is the story of a father (Brendan Fraser) whose 2 children suffer from Pompe. This is the story of John Crowley (Fraser) who took a gargantuan leap of faith and looked for the solution to his children's illness. Harrison Ford appears as the eccentric research scientist who seems to have a theoretical cure for it, but he's too strange to deal with those will possibly fund his $10 million cure!
The narrative may tend to get sappy at times, but the hopeful story ultimately inspires. It reminds me of "Lorenzo's Oil" which was about Adrenoleukodystrophy. More recently, I saw Harry Connick, Jr. and Amanda Bynes in "Living Proof" which dealt with a new cure for breast cancer! These 3 films were all based on real stories, giving hope to all those who can only see darkness.
In a world cloaked by bad news and strife, we need more stories like them.
Brendan Fraser
Harrison Ford: "I used to shake my head, as in 'No, I just look like him.' But that's not fair. So I said to those little old ladies at Trenton Airport, "Yes, I am Harrison Ford". And they still didn't believe it was me."
Brendan Fraser says, "I believe you have a responsibility to comfort yourself in a manner that gives an example to others. As a young man, I prayed for success. Now I pray just to be worthy of it."
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