A harrowing and wrenching film that yet manages a happy ending, Lorenzo's Oil will never be popular for dates, kids, or parties. Yet the film has undeniable inspirational power, and for that reason it has had a shelf life beyond that of most Hollywood productions.

While it takes the audience to Hell and back, it does so with considerable honesty and emotional impact. Prospective parents and medical students can especially benefit from the film's lessons about where priorities should be; with the lives of the dependent children.

As the story begins, Lorenzo is a bright and multicultural child who is fluent in three languages. But he develops a rare blood disease that 'inevitably' leads to rapid brain degeneration and death. Fortunately, Lorenzo has pro-active parents who will stop at nothing to find a cure or treatment for his illness.

A dramatization of a true-story, Lorenzo is ably portrayed by young Zach O'Malley-Greenberg. Susan Sarandon plays Michaela, his linguist mother. Nick Nolte plays Augusto, his multicultural father. Augusto is a successful banker to third world countries, and his financial abilities are necessary to organize and fund the research for a cure.

Thankfully, Sarandon does not try to make her character into a saint. Michaela is both strident and obsessive when she feels that she needs to be, in order to remove perceived obstacles that pose a threat to her endangered son. Completely dedicated to his recovery, Michaela creates a standard as a parent that few of us could ever hope to approach. But if her efforts seem superhuman, it is because they have exacerbated by her son's medical crisis. It is only during a crisis of our own that each one of us will learn our true limitations and capabilities.

While the role of the vigilant and determined mother was tailor-made for Sarandon, the same cannot be said for Nolte's role. Nolte has a build for brawny tough-guy roles. In a similarity with Burt Lancaster, Nolte has always hungered for roles which required greater acting skill, in which his intellect could be credibly brought to the surface.

As Augusto Odone, Nolte has at least two challenges. He has to put across a thick Italian accent. He also has to make his rapid metamorphosis credible, from a medical layman to a master of adrenoleukodystrophy research. Nolte achieves both of these goals, while at the same time correctly ceding the spotlight to Sarandon.

Lorenzo's Oil received two Academy Award nominations. One was nearly requisite; a Best Actress nod to Susan Sarandon. Also nominated was the screenplay, which was a collaboration between Miller and Nick Enright. Sarandon lost to Emma Thompson, who was, as always, relentlessly sympathetic in Howard's End. The best original screenplay Oscar went to The Crying Game, which disguised its action film conventions by giving major roles to homosexual characters.

Lorenzo's Oil was not a blockbuster hit, nor was it intended to be. The film is an earnest attempt to demonstrate the power of family love in overcoming tremendous odds. While Lorenzo was robbed of his childhood and still has a limited capacity, his ordeal has by no means been in vain. Efforts on his behalf have prolonged the life, and the quality of life, of many others. (69/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older