But therein lies the problem. I believe the director really wanted to avoid a disease of the week telefilm in telling the story but overcompensated in doing so. There were few scenes of Brendan Frasers children early on so that the setup that could have pulled out several boxes of Kleenex in a packed theater just didn't. The director gets to the meat and potatoes of the plot which is Fraser's race against time, and corporate protocol to get a drug into clinical trials that will help children with Pompe disease. The genius behind the theories propelling the development of the drug is the Harrison Ford character. He plays a pretty convincing cantankerous anti social scientist, and I really enjoyed his role.
Let's face it. The audience for films like this enjoy pulling out their Kleenex, so give them what they want. The director in an effort not to do another 'My Sister's Keeper" kept the story a bit too antiseptic. The most moving scene in the film for both me and my daughter was when a parent speaks to a group of scientists about his children and their disease. The character named Marcus was in 2 or 3 scenes total. Fraser never brought a tear to my eyes. That is a telling sign that the film missed its mark. You can find worse ways to while away a couple of hours at home with a DVD, but I wouldn't waste my time and money at the theater for this one.
Let's face it. The audience for films like this enjoy pulling out their Kleenex, so give them what they want. The director in an effort not to do another 'My Sister's Keeper" kept the story a bit too antiseptic. The most moving scene in the film for both me and my daughter was when a parent speaks to a group of scientists about his children and their disease. The character named Marcus was in 2 or 3 scenes total. Fraser never brought a tear to my eyes. That is a telling sign that the film missed its mark. You can find worse ways to while away a couple of hours at home with a DVD, but I wouldn't waste my time and money at the theater for this one.