Extraordinary Measures (1981)

"Harrison Ford is at the top of his game in this remarkable film.  Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine
"The screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs affirms life and jerks tears with welcome degrees of humor and muscle.  Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Editor's Note Director John G. Avildsen's dark satire stars John Belushi as Earl Keese, a mild-mannered suburban guy who lives a regular, straitlaced life with his wife, Enid (Kathryn Walker), while their daughter (Lauren Marie Taylor) is away at boarding school. The Keeses' quiet life is turned upside down, however, when their new neighbors move in next door. Vic (Dan Aykroyd) is a bleached blonde, leisure-suit-wearing motormouth whose wife, Ramona (Cathy Moriarty), is a kinky sexpot. When Ramona attempts to seduce Earl and then claims that he attempted to seduce her, this wild comedy takes off with bizarre and outrageous results. Finding that the newcomers are taking control of their mundane lives, the suburbanites resist the influence at first, but gradually the boring pair begins to enjoy the excitement created by the aggressive neighbors. Earl becomes so inspired by the nutty couple that he starts to relish their zest for life and is willing to make changes in his own life to capture their quirky zeal. Belushi expands his comic repetoire by playing the straight man off the wild and crazy Aykroyd, the dynamic pair once again igniting the screen in this mischevious comedy.

	John Belushi
	Kathryn Walker
	Dan Aykroyd
	Cathy Moriarty
	David Brown - Producer
	John G. Avildsen - Director

A peaceful suburbanite and his wife find their lives turned upside down when wacky new neighbors move in next door and proceed to wreak havoc on their lives. Variety
"...Fun....A mere sideways glance between the two conjures up countless funny moments of the past..." 12/16/1981

New York Times
"...Casting [Aykroyd and Belushi] in the film version was a good idea....Walker makes Enid a dryly captivating character..." 12/18/1981 p.C19

Entertainment Weekly 7 of 10
Extraordinary Measures is hardly an extraordinary movie. In fact, it's hard to believe that this schmaltzy film found its home on the big screen rather than the Hallmark Channel. But I dare you not to feel something at its conclusion. Just consider the material: Fed up with doctors prescribing a death sentence for his two children -- who suffer from the rare and fatal Pompe disease -- a proactive businessman (Brendan Fraser) teams up with a temperamental scientist (Harrison Ford) to develop a life-saving drug. The duo hit plenty of roadblocks along the way (lack of funding, power struggles, etc.), and spend much of the film in conference rooms discussing enzymes -- unfortunately, not the most moviegoer-friendly fare. The leading men deserve far better than the ho-hum material they're given (try not to cringe as Ford delivers the oddly placed line, ''I'm gonna go take a crap''). But Fraser works so hard playing a devoted dad, it's damn hard not to root for him. - Kate Ward