So much so fast

If filmmakers Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan had chucked a self-indulgent prologue and some pretentious personal anecdotes, So Much So Fast might have been a great documentary. Instead, it’s a standard yet moving portrait of a family in crisis. Suffering from stiffness in his right hand, Stephen Haywood learns he has ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Brother Jamie quits his job to organize a guerrilla science research group that evolves into the world’s largest ALS mouse facility. The film works best in its quiet moments amid the rush of Jamie’s quest for a cure. In one brutally ironic scene, Stephen, confined to a motorized wheelchair, watches his one-year-old son take his first steps. “Wow,” he manages to gasp despite his nearly paralyzed tongue. So Much So Fast covers a five-year period, too much for the 87-minute running time. Yet the portrayal of familial resolve not only masks the cinematic gaffes, it saves the film.

On the Web
So much so fast's Web site: http://www.westcityfilms.com/smsf.html