The Crowley Family has a big problem. They live in a nice house, have a big strong Daddy, a pretty Mommy, and three adorable kids. Daddy is climbing the corporate ladder at a big drug firm, and things should be looking good.    The only trouble is, the two younger kids, Megan and Patrick, are suffering from Pompe Disease, a form of muscular dystrophy where the victims generally don’t live beyond the age of 9. The Crowley siblings are six and eight.   Daddy John (Brendan Fraser) and Mommy Aileen (Keri Russell) have researched everything on the disease, taken Megan and Patrick to all the best doctors, and done all they can to make the children happy, but their conditions continue to worsen.   As John becomes more and more desperate in his attempt to find something to save his kids, he unearths research being done by Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford). Stonehill may be the last hope for Megan and Patrick, and John lets nothing stand in his way as he tries to convince this eccentric and egotistical scientist to accelerate his work so his children might be saved.   Based on the true story of the Crowley family, John and Aileen risk everything to try and give their kids a chance. Probably, if it was not a true story about real people, this movie might be a little hum-drum, and, quite frankly, a little sappy. However, Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell are quite believable as the quietly frantic parents who try to keep things upbeat for the sake of their kids. Ford, though a bit one-dimensional in his portrayal of the angry, unappreciated doctor, is still one of my favorites, so I enjoyed seeing him on-screen again.    The really super performance, however, was given by Meredith Droeger as young Megan Crowley, confined to a wheelchair and losing muscle strength daily as she waits for her miracle. Diego Velazquez as the afflicted younger brother, Patrick, is also excellent in his more minor role. Rounding out the family is Sam Hall, playing John, Jr., the older, healthy brother, who does a good job with his small part.   While it has its sad moments, Extraordinary Measures is more an inspiring story of hope, determination and a race for a miracle to help not only the two young Crowley children, but thousands of kids with little time.

Gabby