Why Meryl Streep?
There is no doubt that she is terrific in the movie, but why did she decide to go back to TV in such a self-righteous piece of propaganda that often plays like an infomercial?
shareI suspect she did it as a public service, but you're right that she could have done better, regardless of the cause. This is a treachly melodrama with cardboard characters and cringe-worthy dialogue, and the inevitable -- SPOILER ALERT! -- happy ending. It's not even really a movie, just an infomercial with a cast of a lot of non-actors, and it shows.
shareWhile she lived in LA, she lived near the directot who did goofy movies like Airplane, etc. I believe the director had a friend, whose child went through this. They talked about it and made this movie. She had a few great speeches in the film.
shareYes, it makes sense that Meryl would have made this as a favor to a friend, and it was certainly for a good cause.
shareIt was actually the "Airplane" director whose son had a seizure disorder that did not respond to any other therapy, so they used this treatment which had fallen out of favor when reliable drugs were developed. They were so pleased with the results that they founded the Charlie Foundation to publicize it.
Charlie was not by any means cured by the diet; he was seizure-free while on it, and when he was taken off it after 2 years, he started having seizures again and was put on a less severe version of the diet. He's a young adult now, and IIRC is seizure free although somewhat mentally handicapped.
This diet is extremely strict, dare I say brutal, and the therapy is extremely dangerous unless supervised by experienced personnel.