Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

George Miller (written by) &
Nick Enright (written by)

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Some people make their own miracles.

Plot:

A boy develops a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself.

Plot Keywords:

Disease | Erucic | Oleic Acid | Medical | Alternative Medicine

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Nick Nolte	...	Augusto Odone
Susan Sarandon	...	Michaela Odone
Peter Ustinov	...	Professor Nikolais
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Deirdre Murphy
Gerry Bamman	...	Doctor Judalon
Margo Martindale	...	Wendy Gimble
James Rebhorn	...	Ellard Muscatine
Ann Hearn	...	Loretta Muscatine
Maduka Steady	...	Omuori
Mary Wakio	...	Comorian Teacher
Don Suddaby	...	Don Suddaby
Colin Ward	...	Jake Gimble
LaTanya Richardson	...	Nurse Ruth (as La Tanya Richardson)
Jennifer Dundas	...	Nurse Nancy Jo
William Cameron	...	Pellerman

Also Known As:

Lorenzos Öl (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Un milagro para Lorenzo (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
Acto de Amor (Portugal) [pt]
L'huile de Lorenzo (Canada: French title) [fr]
L'olio di Lorenzo (Italy) [it]
Lorenzo (France) [fr]
Lorenzo (Romania) [ro]
Lorenzo (Greece) [el]
Lorenzo olaja (Hungary) [hu]
Lorenzo's oil: el aceite de la vida (Spain) [es]
Lorenzon öljy (Finland) [fi]
Lorenzos olja (Sweden) [sv]
O Óleo de Lorenzo (Brazil) [pt]
Olej Lorenza (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:12 (video re-release) | UK:12 | UK:15 (video) | Australia:PG | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Peru:14 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Carnegie Mellon University - 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Laura Linney's movie debut.

Quotes:

Professor Nikolias: Do you know how many children die every year from choking on french fries? Many more than from Adrenoleukodistrophy. You see, ours is what is known as an orphan disease, too small to be noticed, too small to be funded, especially with the iron hand of "Reganomics".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Critic: Dial 'M' for Mother (#1.3)" (1994)

Susan shines and who would expect any less??

Susan Sarandon is one of the greatest actresses ever, in my opinion. Some may not agree, but I would surely have a strong argument, with her performance in Lorenzo's Oil as my just part of my evidence. I have come to expect a lot of Susan, after her performances in Rocky Horror, Bull Durham and Thelma & Louise and she didn't disappoint me here. As Michaela Odone, the mother of Lorenzo, who has a terminal disease ALD, she perfectly skates that fine line between being a caring parent and a crazed mother obsessed with keeping her son alive, and if the nurses don't like it, too bad. Even Michaela's own sister is told to leave, because she thinks Michaela is losing it. Susan exquisitely shows the pain and sacrifice of a mother watching her son deteriorate while she is basically powerless to stop it. "How can I enjoy anything when he enjoys nothing?" This question truly reveals Michaela's agony. I think she was criminally robbed of an oscar. I would watch this movie for her performance alone. However, this is not all the movie has to offer. Nick Nolte also delivers as the father, Augusto, showing a slightly different angle with his side of the story. Together, they create what I consider to be a masterpiece. 10/10