Many times I go to the movies with high expectations
only to be disappointed and other times with little expectations and am
pleasantly surprised. The latter was my experience today with seeing
"Extraordinary Pleasures." From the coming attractions I expected a TV disease
of the week movie and since it involved small sick children I knew the director
would probably manipulate the audience to tears and, to a certain degree, was
wrong on both accounts.

I had never heard of Pompe's disease, which is a form of
muscular dystrophy that is inherited and usually results in death before a child
reaches the age of 9, so in a sense this was a learning experience for me. There
is another learning experience regarding how hard it is to test, and  get a new
drug approved, including big business interested more in the profit the drug can
bring then in solving lives. It is also taken for granted there will be a
certain number of lives lost which is intolerable to the caretakers of those who
are ill.

Yes, seeing a child sick, only able to get around in
a wheel chair, needing help in breathing, is in itself enough to get an audience
near tears but the director Tom Vaughn doesn't add to the emotions and just lets
the film goer pull on their own heart strings. Another part of the film is the
butting of heads between the father of the two children, one 6 and the other 8,
who have Pompe's disease and a scientist who
may have the cure that will allow them to go on living until the join to fight
the corporate politics. The writer of the screenplay, Robert Nelson Jacobs,
handles all aspects of the film  not over doing in any of the departments.

The acting is good with a few minor distractions
which may all be in my head or my perception of the actors. Was it 12 years ago
that Harrison Ford was called "The Sexiest Man of the Year" by People magazine?
At 68 there is none of that man visible, (except for one scene but we won't talk
about that) as he is now just an old man. His character is sort of a curmudgeon
and he plays that role well and does add a sparkle towards the
end.

One of the films that I laugh out loud at every time
I see it is "George Of The Jungle" and that is due to the performance of Brendan
Fraser. Also he really impressed me with his performance in "Gods and Monsters"
and I have enjoyed his Mummy series. On a personal note I was always taken by
his 'bull neck' appearance. Unless it is very obvious--Joan Rivers anyone?--I am
not really good at spotting  cosmetic surgery but there is a lack of motion, and
emotion, in Fraser's face that makes me suspect he had some, maybe too much,
possibly botched face surgery. Everything seems to be a little 'off'.

Keri Russell, playing Fraser's wife, Meredith Droegar,
Diego Velazquez and Sam M. Hall playing their 3 children all do professional
work while Jared Harris as the closest to a villain in the movie walks a fine
line.

The movie, at an hour and
46 minutes, moves pretty fast and holds your interest without lagging. Along the
way you see some pretty fascinating architecture, and landscapes, in
Seattle.