Lorenzo's Oil

George Miller cut a mighty fine name for himself with the MAD MAX films so when you see him direct something like LOENZO'S OIL it can take you off guard. Mind you, he was behind BABE (one of the best pictures of all time in my books!) and recently scooped an Oscar for HAPPY FEET so it's obvious the man has both a heart and a love of children. Adrenoleukodystrophy (I think the spelling is correct?!?!?!?!?) or ADL is the disease being discussed here and the fight of two parents who refuse to let their son succumb to it. This is all of the story you need to know as it is really only a surface level while the character emotions are examined below. Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte are truly brilliant here with side work by Peter Ustinov and Kathleen Wilhoite. Look for Laura Linney in her debut role as well. Although this may be a little too much of a "real life" drama for some it should still be viewed at least once for the "human hope" content.