Lorenzo Odone is a regular kid who spent three years in east Africa. Back in the States, he starts having disturbances. It's a mystery that his parents (Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon) have difficulty solving until he is diagnosed as suffering from ALD. It's a rare incurable degenerative brain disorder that wasn't even identified 10 years before. There are no treatments and he's not expected to survive past 2 years. Then his parents goes all out to research his disease.

This is a perfectly constructed sick-kid-drama. It excels because of the great performances. There is some science but the exposition is simple. And it's impossible not to like the old English scientist with 6 months before retirement. It is heart warming and a tear jerking. It is a great triumph of doggedness and parental love movie.

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.

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 ****