I’m told Extraordinary Measures got terrible reviews. I try not to read reviews before I review a movie so I’m not a copycat. I would have gone even if I’d read the bad reviews because I’m 56 and all women within a ten-year range of my age are required to go to all Harrison Ford movies. It’s written in the pact we have with each other. Same goes, by the way, for Robert Redford films.
I went see see it with a friend who said afterwards that the bad reviews are a left wing plot. I still don’t quite get what that means, but here is what I do get. We all need, every now and then, to go see something inspirational, something with an outcome that actually speaks to results that come from never giving up. The fact that it was true made it all the better. I keep Winston Churchill’s quote on my refrigerator: Never, never, never quit. I try to remind myself it means something larger than never quit eating. I quit all the time and consider not quitting to be my Holy Grail. The thing about the movie though, is that there is no giving up when it comes to our children and their safety. It’s not an option. If we could take that tenacity and bring it to other aspects of our life, we would all accomplish a lot more.
I loved this movie. And, I don’t think it was poorly acted at all. Is it tough to see Harrison Ford playing someone other than himself? Yeah, it is. It means we are uncomfortable with his playing Dr. Stonehill, but it doesn’t mean he acted it poorly, it just means he is too recognizable on screen. While that might sound ridiculous, it really does make sense. When someone has played themself too much on screen, we cannot see them as anyone else. There are other actors who have that issue as well. Julia Roberts comes to mind.
Back to the story. It is simple. An obscure disease is going to take two children from a couple who decide they aren’t going to take it passively. Instead they raise the money and make the cure happen. It’s a simple story and would never have been done if it hadn’t been true. It’s too unbelievable.
So, this is a feel good movie stemming from a tragic illness that made me sick to my stomach. Go see it and then decide what you will conquer next in your life.
I left this movie hoping that I can do something with my life that matters. Another Churchill quote (I think) says something about circumstance being the mother of greatness. I think we all have circumstances where we can rise to meet them and conquer something that is greater than ourselves. Usually we turn away, not facing the challenge, and don’t get involved. Time to change. The clock is running.
