A lawyer focused on his work,

Henry Turner is a jerk.

His daughter’s mishaps only irk,

For he cannot relate.

While out one evening, Henry’s shot;

His damaged brain must be retaught

The simple tasks that it forgot,

For he’s a now blank slate.

 

A therapist named Bradley stays

With Henry through his hardest days,

Encouraging with jolly praise

When Henry makes progress.

Recovery’s a distant hope,

And his wife Sarah has to cope

And manage the financial slope

Since they’re now earning less.

 

Though Henry ends up walking tall,

He can’t remember much at all,

And though at first he wants to stall,

He goes back home at last.

Soon back at work out of respect,

He’s like a child, which they suspect.

With Ritz his favorite art subject,

He’s not like in the past.

 

But with his daughter Rachel, he

Connects again, which helps him be

A friend and dad with courtesy,

Which she had always lacked.

Since Henry cannot just ignore

His former dealings, he learns more

And doesn’t like himself before

Or what he did, in fact.

 

Though home life’s happy, it is there

He learns of Sarah’s past affair.

He’s more perturbed when others share

That he had secrets too.

To move on from regret and spite,

He quits and tries to set things right.

The Turner family’s seen the light

And will start over new.

__________________

 

This is a film to which my VC introduced me, and over time I’ve begun liking it even more than she does. While he will always be best-known for his crowd-pleasing action roles, I can honestly say that this is Harrison Ford’s best dramatic performance. Directed by Mike Nichols, Regarding Henry is one of a hard-to-define subgenre that I can only call a “quiet movie,” a “sleeper” devoid of explosions or extreme dramatic tension but rife with endearing characterization that leaves me with that coveted I-enjoyed-that-movie reaction.

The beginning is a bit slow and doesn’t quite give a full picture of Henry’s relationships with his wife and daughter, but ultimately his past self is less important than who he becomes. Once the attack occurs (he’s shot by John Leguizamo), the film becomes a fond testimonial for the role physical therapists play in the shattered lives of the injured. Bradley, played by Bill Nunn of Sister Act, displays a saintly patience and love for his job and those he assists, and it’s no wonder that Henry didn’t want to leave him at first.

Harrison Ford’s acting extends from the usual businessman role he’s done before to natural childish fear and wonder during the hard road of recovery. He relearns walking, talking, eating, and all the things we take for granted. While he brings these struggles to life, Annette Bening also excels at illustrating the overwhelming distress at seeing her ever-professional husband reduced to a drooling invalid.

Ford’s hesitant, nuanced performance, sometimes funny, often poignant, is the heart of the film, and by the time he reconnects with his family, we’re meant to regard his trauma as an unexpected improvement in their lives. A twist near the end clarifying some obvious product placement was not well-received by some critics, who considered it almost comical, but Henry’s reaction to it is ultimately satisfying, ending the film on a singularly feel-good note.

Praise was reserved and accolades were few, but Regarding Henry remains my favorite non-action Harrison Ford film. Perhaps my partiality is due to a major but hidden Lost alert: the great J. J. Abrams himself wrote the screenplay (one of his first, credited as Jeffrey Abrams) and even appears briefly as a delivery boy when Henry wanders out of his apartment. While some may consider Regarding Henry overly sentimental and I’ve heard it described as “get shot in the head and become a better person,” it’s a sensitive, well-acted drama that I sincerely hope will not be forgotten.

Best line: (Henry, explaining why he quit his job and echoing an earlier exchange) “Well, I had enough, so I said, ‘When.’”

 

Artistry: 9

Characters/Actors: 9

Entertainment: 9

Visual Effects: 6 (just the shooting scene)

Originality: 8

Watchability: 9

Other (language): -1

 

TOTAL: 49 out of 60

 

Next: #128 – The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

© 2014 S. G. Liput

197 Followers and Counting

 

Young Megan and Patrick have Pompe disease,

Which leaves them in wheelchairs with medical fees.

Their father John Crowley can’t stand to just wait,

To work and play, knowing their ultimate fate.

 

He seeks a researcher named Robert Stonehill,

Whose theories need someone to foot a large bill.

He claims he can save those enduring Pompe,

And Crowley decides he’ll raise cash in some way.

 

He founds a foundation with Aileen, his wife;

They fundraise to save every sick child’s life.

When Stonehill comes visiting, they’re a bit short,

But he’ll take his chances with John’s full support.

 

Though Stonehill possesses a gruff attitude

And comes off as selfish, controlling, and rude,

John reaches a deal with investors, providing

A lab in Nebraska, upon which all’s riding.

 

When funders get nervous about Priozyme,

John sells to a large biotech just in time.

He desperately tries to streamline the process

And butts heads with Stonehill to ensure success.

 

Yet when things don’t turn out as Crowley had planned,

For his darling kids’ sake, Stonehill lends a hand.

The drug works, once treatment is soon underway,

And saves them, and so many more, from Pompe.

_________________

 

Extraordinary Measures was hardly a success when it was released in 2010, recouping less than half of its budget. Whereas many of the recent films on my list have been critically and commercially successful, this one failed, a true shame since it is a high-quality movie with meaty roles for two underrated actors. Brendan Fraser gives his best performance in years as dauntless parent John Crowley and actually gets to act rather than feign silliness (don’t get me started on Furry Vengeance). Harrison Ford also bucks his action hero persona in favor of a scientist, and though Dr. Stonehill is less than personable for much of the film, Ford succeeds at portraying both his obsessive scientific confidence and his latent soft spot for Crowley’s suffering kids. A scene in which both of them must swallow their pride and choose their words carefully illustrates both actors’ ability, as we can recognize what must be going through their heads and how they might like to respond.

Though some critics characterized the film as a typical TV-caliber tearjerker, it offers more than that, namely an insightful glimpse at the pharmaceutical industry. While such scrutinizing of business practices could have been tedious and dull, the film frames each meeting or funding petition as another step on Crowley’s quest for a cure and never gets bogged down in too much corporate jargon. Likewise, Stonehill gives a straightforward explanation of Pompe disease, a lesser-known form of enzyme deficiency, giving the viewer just enough information to understand without growing bored.

Overall, the film is about a father’s love for his children. As the film starts, with Crowley showing up late for his daughter’s birthday party, there’s the possibility that Crowley is one of those clichéd fathers who puts his job before his kids, but it’s soon clear that he’s practically an ideal parent, the kind that makes his kids laugh but stays up late worrying about them. The Crowleys were already doing all in their power, so it seemed, to care for their sick kids, but John took it upon himself to do more, leading to a life-saving drug for countless children, including his own. This kind of “making a miracle” instead of waiting for one is the true message of Extraordinary Measures, a film that remains intelligent while pushing all the right emotional buttons.

Best line: (Crowley, after being fired for all the right reasons) “Well, thank you very much for firing me.”

(Dr. Webber, played by Jared Harris) “My pleasure, I never liked you.”

(Crowley, still amiable) “Likewise.”

 

 

Artistry: 8

Characters/Actors: 9

Entertainment: 8

Visual Effects: N/A

Originality: 8

Watchability: 9

Other (two favorite actors making the potentially boring interesting): +7

Other (language): -1

 

TOTAL: 48 out of 60

 

Next: #137 – Airplane!

© 2014 S. G. Liput

189 Followers and Counting