This movie isn't as bad as people say

I liked it a lot. Still not sure why Harrison Ford was second billed(know that's been discussed a lot!)though.

I thought it was a great movie. I figured this was going to be one of those sentimental "disease-of-the-week" movies, and resisted seeing it for a long time.

Instead it was a very realistic look at what it takes for major medical advances. Normally in movies of this type, you'd expect the Ford character to retire to his garage with a kid's chemistry set picked up at Radio Shack, and a few days later emerge with the cure. Instead, you see that it took two men of great intelligence and skill using all their experience and resources to make this happen. It was also clear that it took the resources of a big biotech firm to make it happen. Dr. Stonehill could never have done this on his own.

I was surprised at how realistic both the technical and business parts were presented. Stonehill's brief explanation of what he was doing that was revolutionary sounded genuine (however, I have to admit that though I have a science background, little of it is in biology). When Stonehill and Crowley pitched their company to the big biotech, the business questions they asked were very real. Most movies would have avoided any detail in these two areas like the plague for fear of putting audiences to sleep.

It also gives you a lot to think about. Are big biotechs cold and impersonal, only interested in profit? Or is it mostly because they are too bureaucratic? Do they charge too much, given all that it takes to produce a new drug? Do government regulations make coming out with new drugs too hard? To most people the answers seem obvious, but the issues become more muddled after watching this movie. Maybe big biotechs are evil, but it's not clear how we could produce cutting edge drugs without them.

this was way better than average,, Ford gives a stellar performance in this one.
are you going to bark all day little doggie,, or are you going to bite