"Extraordinary Measures" Movie Trailer Review

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

"Extraordinary Measures" seems like a film that's success will depend entirely on how it treats the material. The film follows the story of a biotechnology executive (Brendan Fraser) who will stop at nothing to find a cure for the fatal disease that has afflicted his two youngest children. Having run out of traditional options, he decides to raise money for an eccentric medical researcher played by Harrison Ford.

That kind of plot could come dangerously close to excessive emotional manipulation, but if done right the concept could make for a very involving and life-affirming drama. The trailer has a couple of worrying tinges of melodrama, but overall, it seems to have a grounded and honest style, and there seems to be a good bit of humor to lighten the mood in such a dreary subject, as well. It's hard to be certain what direction the film is going to go in, though.

The cast certainly seems suitable. Brendan Fraser has been in some effective dramatic roles ("Crash" and "Gods and Monsters," for example), so this might be a good change of pace for him after a couple years of mediocre fantasy/action roles. Harrison Ford is practically always at the top of his game, regardless of the genre, and the role of an eccentric, curmudgeonly doctor suits him rather well.

So, basically, the trailer provides a pretty basic look at what we'll be seeing, but doesn't really give me much of an idea of how the concept will be developed.

An interesting indication of the film's potential, though, is the fact that it's based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by Geeta Anand.

The film is set for release on January 22, 2010.

The trailer for "Extraordinary Measures" is below. Thoughts?