higherall7 I saw this film first on HBO and found it stunning, brilliant and heart wrenching. Most people, (I hope), never get to discover how much pain and suffering the human body can actually inflict on the human spirit. This film is largely about that. Therefore, I must caution this is not for the fainthearted.This is an important film. More so than PULP FICTION or THE AVENGERS or other like minded fantasies, because it shows in a very adult fashion what true evil and true heroism is really all about. The thematic level of this film could not be any higher. I credit it for giving you a small albeit hyper-real glimpse into what parents all over the world go through everyday of their lives as they raise their children through the vicissitudes of life in what can be a menacing world. Nick Nolte as Augusto Odone and Susan Sarandon as Michaela Odone have given birth and are raising a bright, precocious little boy they have named Lorenzo as played by half a dozen actors including Zack O'Malley. He has already learned three languages before his seventh birthday and his parents are wistfully looking down the road to his being a possible Harvard graduate when tragedy strikes. He begins exhibiting behavioral problems, memory lapses and tantrums. When he is taken to the doctors, he is diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a degenerative brain disease that takes the life of the affected party usually within two years. Lorenzo's parents, instead of quietly resigning themselves to accept Lorenzo's fate, do what almost any parent I know would do in such an instance. They pull out all the stops and make great sacrifices with regard to their own personal needs in order to extend and improve the quality of life for their child. This is so universally true about parents both for the observer and those with real life experience raising children it hardly needs comment here.This is a story about who the real heroes of the world are; they are the people who are trying preserve and enhance life at all costs regardless of their personal shortcomings or limitations of cultural or social training. The doctors tell the Odones that their son has at most two more years to live. Do they listen? Oh no, out of some panicked, primal urgency to lessen Lorenzo's suffering and protect the family unit no matter what, the Odones organize their lives around their son's need for round-the-clock care and Augusto Odone out of necessity becomes expert enough to invent a medicine that can ease the suffering of those with ALD and act as a preventative in many cases for those who are predisposed to suffer from the disease, but have not yet experienced the onset of its symptoms.There are many fascinating independent features of interest in this film, but central to is the acting of Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon as the beleaguered parents. Their reactions and responses to this appalling family crisis are so believable, I felt literally bonded to them in their struggle. Their uphill battle against the prevailing conventional wisdom of medical authorities simply to make a better life for their child would have made for good drama whether or not they ever found anything even remotely resembling a cure for ALD and its related maladies. The fact that Augusto Odone did in a large measure blaze the trail for exactly that is exceptionally commendable. The way director George Miller shows Augusto Odone figuring out a solution to arrest his son's pain is both visually and intellectually stimulating all the way up to that 'Eureka!' moment. When I was growing up, I was fortunate enough to see films about inventors like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and teachers like Annie Sullivan. I must say here that the idea that people can improve conditions in life should not be the strict province of non-fiction. We could still use more of this concept in all the other genres of storytelling and the cinema. I found the end of LORENZO'S OIL exceptionally exhilarating as it postulated a breakthrough that would end suffering for many before it even began. This concept alone is worth more than a dinner and a movie.It is worth a donation to THE MYELIN PROJECT.

snicaodha OK so this is my first time writing a review. I have recently noticed a huge amount of overly high ratings on the formerly reliable IMDb. For this reason I think that more reviews and ratings are needed to rectify this :/ I chose this movie with high hopes and hoped it would be like many of the inspiring greats from before the 2000's. I looked beyond the average rating of 7.2 and wondered if the story wasn't perfect perhaps the acting would be. From the beginning I was drawn in, but confused...the native with the knife...looks strange..is there more to this film than a disease and hope? Was the child cursed or something? OK I knew that wasn't going to be the case because I looked up the true story beforehand. Anyway, the native turned out to be lovely... I thought I was in for an emotional journey with this one..not so much.. It ain't nice to say but Lorenzos' crying noise was basically Tommy from Rugrats...over and over..which was distracting to say the least. Also, I know this is true but it seemed annoyingly unbelievable so I started to zone out...Noltes as the father was believable in his acting but having a dream with the solution? Much too dramatic...the white-board and extensive reading though, very believable, the urgency and desperation is admirable in the extensive research and you can see they are on the verge of a breakthrough...not with a helpful dream though.. annoying. Sarandon is great as always, wide-eyed with fear and fury. She is the perfect hopeful, desperate and adoring mother and you can't help but admire her strength and determination. However, the performance was just as I predicted it would be. That's not a bad thing...but not spectacular either. I would like to rate it 7.3, you will not be let down, but also will not feel uplifted either. The .3 is for the acting.

Chrysanthepop 'Lorenzo's Oil' tells an extraordinary story of two parents determined to save their son. Not long after the Odone's move to the States, their son, Lorenzo is diagnosed with ALD, a rare progressive congenital disease that only affects boys. Since there was no cure, and while all the doctors administer experimental treatments that only contribute to the deterioration of Lorenzo's condition, the Odone's have to fight the battle by themselves. Miller's writing and direction are solid. He, along with the actors, really manage to express the pain and hardship of the family. It's easy to empathize with the characters as we hope for them to achieve victory. Nick Nolte's Italian accent might take some getting used to but once one looks passed that, his performance will strike the viewer as something brilliant. A charming Kathleen Wilhoite also deserves special mention as Michaela's supportive sister. The child actor too is terrific. And last, but not least, Susan Sarandon delivers a transcendent performance as Michaela Odone, the mother who will give up at no cost to save her son. Based on a true story, such films remind the viewer the value of determination and courage. While it has its costs, the end result just shows what hope can do when one doesn't give up. Clearly, the real Odone's must have gone through far more than what the film has shown but in the end they managed to save their son and Augusto is now a crucial part of medical research on treatment of myelin while Michaelahas unfortunately passed away as her son lives on. 'Lorenzo's Oil' is an inspiring story that reminds us how miracles can happen when you don't give up.

angeledwardjake In my ninth grade biology science class we are watching this movie, because it has to do with genetics and traits. we have not finished it yet, so i cannot spoil it, but please please please think before you have children watch this movie.It may be a great movie for the entertainment value, but it is so heart wrenching that a great deal of 15 year olds in my class are depressed by this movie, and we are in highschool. It is so sad and scary, i don't believe it is appropriate for children to watch. It's pretty embarrassing to cry in class, so you know we wouldn't unless we really couldn't stop ourselves. Most of my class cried during some part of the movie. Like i said, we are only 3/4 of the way through the movie, so we don't have all the information. Maybe the end is uplifting, but you should know until then, it can get pretty bad.