Lorenzo Odone, a Virginia 5-year-old, develops a degenerative nerve disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his parents decide to immerse themselves in research and tackle the p... Read allLorenzo Odone, a Virginia 5-year-old, develops a degenerative nerve disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his parents decide to immerse themselves in research and tackle the problem themselves.Lorenzo Odone, a Virginia 5-year-old, develops a degenerative nerve disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his parents decide to immerse themselves in research and tackle the problem themselves.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 8 nominations total
- Nurse Ruth
- (as La Tanya Richardson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDon Suddaby (himself) is the actual British biochemist that has synthesized the pure oil (erucic acid) that was used to treat Lorenzo. He was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, where he has a street named after him, "Suddaby Close", which runs adjacent to "Lorenzo Way".
- 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 "Reaganomics".
- Crazy creditsDuring the credits pictures of children are shown, which were cured by "Lorenzo's Oil".
- SoundtracksKijana Mwana Mwali
Written by Idylio Cortini and Roberto Marini
Performed by Gonda Traditional Entertainers
I find the pace a bit fast in the first hour. I did not expect Lorenzo to have disabling symptoms just 10 minutes into the film. The scene where the parents reading about the disease is so effective. Seeing Nick Nolte crying helplessly on the stairs is probably the most effective scene in the whole film. It really conveys to the audience about how it feels to find about the inevitable fate.
In the film we can see how love shines in the dark. The love of parents is truly unconditional. One can easily feel the love, and be touched by it. Susan Sarandon is so convincing in portraying the relentless mother! Her performance deserves an Oscar award!
I was also particularly impressed by the child actors who played the diseased children. Their performance is so convincing that I would easily say that the symptoms were real and not faked. I wonder how these children manage it!
Lay people may find the technical and scientific details overwhelming and hard to follow. However, the technical details are well explained so it should not be a problem.
I wholeheartedly recommend this film to everyone. Parents will find it especially touching as the film echos the unconditional love they have for their children.
- How long is Lorenzo's Oil?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Un milagro para Lorenzo
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $7,286,388
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $79,353
- Jan 3, 1993
- Gross worldwide
- $7,286,388
- Runtime2 hours 9 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1