Short Take:Â The emotional inspiration is there, but isn't enough to hang your hat on

Director: Tom Vaughan (What Happens in Vegas)

Screenwriter: Robert Nelson Jacobs (Chacolat); based from the book “The Cure” by Geeta Anand

Cast: Harrison Ford (What Lies Beneath), Brendan Fraser (Crash), Keri Russell (Mission Impossible: III)

Length: 1h 45m

Synopsis: John Crowley, a husband and father of three, is searching for a miracle treatment that will give hope to his daughter Megan and son Patrick who have been diagnosed with a rare muscular disease. This disease, called Pompe, is the topic of research for scientist Robert Stonehill (Ford) who has been working for years on such a treatment. The two begin to work together, with John in charge of raising money and Bob in charge of the science, and through a myriad of personal difference get closer than anyone ever come to accomplishing their goal.

Analysis: The film’s most prominent, and perhaps lone thesis is to convince us the audience to never give up hope and always fight through adversity in any way possible. Another way to reword this, depending on your religious affiliation, is to say “always keep your faith.” It wants to convince you that no matter what odds you’re fighting against you will come away the victor if you just keep your foot on the gas pedal. For those of us old enough to know that this isn’t necessarily true, the message still acts as a motivational tool because “you just never know.” The Crowleys’ story serves as an example that this belief does prove true sometimes, and thus it is meant to inspire hope in those who are going through tough times themselves.

Aside from the main theme, the movie also comments on several different subject matters like pharmaceutical research. If one were to try and put a fine point on exactly how the average American thinks of pharmaceutical companies and their investors, that point might sound something like “lab coat wearing businessmen who like to play God.” Yes, developing drugs is incredibly expensive and the process of pushing them through all the red tape might take longer than it should, but when all goes according to plan what usually results is yet another medical miracle. With all this being said, Extraordinary Measures arguably fails to change the minds of those on either side of the fence. With plenty of harsh truths revealed about the process of moving a drug from the theory stage to the testing stage, the film goes out of its way to also suggest that the “evil” executives at these pharmaceutical companies (as well as their investors) are doing the best they can and in fact do sympathize with the persons dealing with the ailments they’re trying to treat. One way to see this, then, is to assume that the film is trying to suggest that both perspectives are true – the business side is sometimes harsh and counterproductive but nevertheless necessary. So on this topic, the movie tries to be either really understanding or decidedly neutral.

What I have found that makes this film different from many others like it, and you can decide for yourself how much this difference should be valued, is that there isn’t (debatably) a strong sense of fate involved. Instead of destiny being any part of what any of the characters do (unlike perhaps with sports movies, romantic comedies, other inspirational dramas, or any movie that tries to convince you that “fate” or “God’s plan” will meet you halfway), everything is based on results that come from hard work and diligence; much like science itself. Not only does it advocate effort, but it claims that only effort can accomplish your goals. This puts a lot more accountability on us the audience than other typical entries in the genre (the film’s tagline epitomizes this stance, as it reads “Don’t Hope for a Miracle. Make One.”). However, this is not a lone atypicality, as recent films like The Blind Side and Invictus also preach accountability through hardship. And speaking of this connection, which also includes Disney’s recent The Princess and the Frog (see our review), what might be worth thinking about is why Hollywood has been advocating self-accountability so much within the past year.

Rating: 6.5