Lorenzo's Oil

Moviecut—Lorenzo's Oil

Lorenzo's Oil

This Is an excellent movie,great acting,gripping true life story. It is an excellent depiction of the way families sometimes must struggle to win against all odds,even when the majority are saying give up,true "grit",faith carry on. I only wish I would have seen it sooner.

I saw this in Biology class and I wanted to cry so badly. It hurt me to see Lorenzo suffer and now I understand why it's so important to understand hereditary diseases because you never know if it could be your child. Just to see the spirit of of Augusto and Michaela, never throwing in the towel on their son, now that's unconditional love. They just didn't sit there a wait for a miracle, like the other people were doing. They did all they could and Lorenzo is still here.

Excellent drama based on the true story of Lorenzo, a kid with a rare but fatal disease. Nice acting performances by Susan Sarandon and Zack O'Malley Greenburg. Nick Nolte wasn't bad either, but I have to admit that, as a Nolte fan, a thought his performance was some what disappointing. His Italian accent made him look like an idiot. Maybe Nolte wasn't optimal casted here. Maybe it would have been better if they had chosen an actor with an Italian look which would had made the accent much more believable. But in general "Lorenzo's Oil" was a nice picture with good performances. Maybe it's a little underrated as well on IMDb. I think it should at least deserve 7.2. I personally gave it an 8. Certainly worth watching! 8/10

I saw this film several years ago. And yet it remains with me. I am not sure that it is "great film-making"; I do know, however, that it conveyed the story so effectively that even after 5 or 6 years (if not longer) I often remember it and draw inspiration from its story. Susan Sarandon was superb. (But then, she usually is.) Nick Nolte's "Italian" accent was nothing short of horrendous. (It probably cost him a nomination.) But he managed to convey the incredible passion of a father - and THAT is what's important. That is what stays with me and inspires me. Not sure how to rate it in terms of cinematographic art - but it gets a 10 as a source of inspiration.

Based on the true story of a married couple at their wits' end trying to find a cure for their young son's degenerative disease, "Lorenzo's Oil" chronicles the efforts and challenges of two people who eventually strike out on their own when the established medical profession proves to be a group of naysayers. George Miller directed, co-wrote and co-produced this heavy-going drama which strives to steer clear of wet-eyed sentiment but can't avoid a sort of hard-shelled sentimentality. The quick cuts at the beginning help to speed up the narrative, but they are off-putting and fail to involve the viewer in the proceedings (perhaps a more careful introduction to this story would've been more beneficial). Worse still is Nick Nolte's irritating, overstated performance as the child's Italian (!) father. Susan Sarandon does her usual sterling job as the mother--the film ends up being a valentine to her valiance and gritty grace--yet the plot-turns are somewhat mechanical despite George Miller's obvious heart and good intentions. **1/2 from ****

Recently there was a case of adrenoleukodystrophy in my hospital. The first case in over 20 years. The professor told us about this film and urged the staff to watch it. I am so glad I watched it! This film is very touching. It also enhanced my understanding of the psychosocial aspects of a genetic disease and its impact on the family. I find the pace a bit fast in the first hour. I did not expect Lorenzo to have disabling symptoms just 10 minutes into the film. The scene where the parents reading about the disease is so effective. Seeing Nick Nolte crying helplessly on the stairs is probably the most effective scene in the whole film. It really conveys to the audience about how it feels to find about the inevitable fate. In the film we can see how love shines in the dark. The love of parents is truly unconditional. One can easily feel the love, and be touched by it. Susan Sarandon is so convincing in portraying the relentless mother! Her performance deserves an Oscar award! I was also particularly impressed by the child actors who played the diseased children. Their performance is so convincing that I would easily say that the symptoms were real and not faked. I wonder how these children manage it! Lay people may find the technical and scientific details overwhelming and hard to follow. However, the technical details are well explained so it should not be a problem. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to everyone. Parents will find it especially touching as the film echos the unconditional love they have for their children.

Wow!,what a film.Based on a true story about little boy Lorenzo who gets an incurable disease called ALG.Parents never gives up to get a cure for the disease.And a cure there is,in form of an oil.This is an heartwarming,interesting and very important movie.Great performances all around.Especially Nick Nolte who did a great job with his italian accent.Definately one of his best performances. Sarandon and Ustinov are also great.Not to mention the little boy who played Lorenzo,fantastic. However this movie is not so well known.For us who have seen it,we all agree this is one outstanding movie,that sticks to your mind for a long time... Rating 8/10

The first half hour of this supposed true-life story was just excellent. The visuals were terrific, the kid was nice and the story very interesting. Then it began to go downhill. It bogged down because went into too much detail of the boy's illness, using technical explanation after explanation. Then, frustration sets in when the caring family couldn't find others - including parents in the same boat - with the dedication they had in finding a cure. The kid then started to have epileptic-type fits which were anything but fun to watch. (This is a depressing film.) There was still almost an hour to go with this pathetic situation just getting worse by the minute. Add to that Nick Nolte's fake Italian accent in which you can't understand half of what he says....and this film ceased to be entertaining. Yes, it's a great message of perseverance for the right reasons and inspirational in that regard, but it's a frustrating experience to watch, is all I am saying.