Wonderful Movie

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This is one of those feel-good TV dramas that will probably tug at your heart strings. It stars Meryl Streep as Lori Reimuller, whose young son Robbie (Seth Atkins) is being treated at a hospital for epilepsy. But, not satisfied with the care his doctor is giving Robbie, Lori pursues her own form of treatment for her son, attempting an alternative treatment called the Ketogenic Diet.This movie generated some emotion as I watch Lori care for her son. It reminds me of the hurdles and obstacles a family goes through in life at times and how a parent's love for his/her child is unconditional. The acting by the cast of characters really delivered in making this movie engaging.I am not a real hardcore fan of drama, as the plots really go at a slow pace at times, as evident somewhat in this movie. However, the heart-warming and courageous scenes of Lori dealing with the medical system while trying to address family issues made it an intriguing movie overall.Grade B+

I may not be a person living with Epilepsy, but I live with someone who has it. This movie is a moving portrayal of a family coping with a son with seizures he cannot control and the medical establishment that won't do what's needed to help their son so the mother does whatever she can to help her son overcome the disorder that has taken over his life by trying to get him into a program called the Ketogenic Diet and doing whatever is necessary to help her son. The film also shows how the family copes with their family members epilepsy. Realistic portrayal of a seizure which will make you cry. I know it did for me. I recommend this movie for people with epilepsy and those without so they can see how epilepsy and seizures can take control of ones life.

In this alternately heartbreaking and uplifting drama inspired by actual events, a small town Midwest family discovers that their youngest son suffers from epilepsy. Left without hope after their insurance runs out, the mother presses on, studies everything she can find out about the illness, and, against the wishes of her local doctor, takes her son to Baltimore for treatment with the controversial ketogenetic diet.The title of this movie-made-for-television, First Do No Harm, comes from the Hippocratic oath which doctors take as part of their vocation.However, in many cases physicians are loath to recommend procedures not because they do anyone harm but because their efficacy is not supported by scientific research. This is the case when four-year-old Robbie (Seth Adkins) is diagnosed as having a type of epilepsy for which the cause is unknown. His parents, Lori (Meryl Streep) and Dave (Fred Ward), agree to a series of excruciating drug treatments which only seem to worsen his condition. Their situation becomes more complicated when they learn that their health insurance policy has lapsed.Then Lori discovers a regimen called the Ketogenic Diet; one-third of the epileptic children on this diet have experienced no additional seizures. Robbie's parents are furious with his doctor (Allison Janney) for not telling them about this treatment and then refusing to facilitate their trying it. Instead, she recommends brain surgery for the boy.The finale of the drama demonstrates the distance some families have to go to take control of the health and welfare of their loved ones. First Do No Harm presents a blistering attack on the rigidity and insensitivity of the medical establishment.Outstanding performances from both Meryl Streep and child sensation, Seth Adkins. Definitely a 'must-watch!!'

The main and actually the only complaint I have about this film is, that it falls prey to the typical TV movie set up, which means that this truth inspired story is somewhat over dramatized. Apart from that though, there is nothing much I have to complain about. The performances are safe and sound and so is the directing. I will not give away too much here, but this film is actually quite thought provoking, even in the beginning, starting with the oath of Hippocrates that each doctor is destined to take before being set free on the general public. Note the part where the oath contains the subjectivity of the doctor in stating that the doctor should do the things he deems necessary, right or something of the like. This part of the oath of Hippocrates sets the tone for the rest of the movie, in which doctor's seem to do what they seem is best, but not try everything there is, because it is supposedly not to be scientifically proven. While watching this film one actually gets the impression that our dear doctors think that something is scientific only when it is either scientifically manufactured (drugs) or when there are active reconstructions made on the human body. The fact that other forms of treatment (like acupuncture, diet, change of environment) could actually do something about a disease is out of these scholars reach and most of them seem to make the mistake of looking at diseases through the view of their studies and totally neglecting the more logical holistic view on illnesses. This film shows us that there are things that can go wrong when you go to the doctors, that they too are only humans and its advice is: smarten up. If you're seriously ill, read books, educate yourself and make sure that everything there is has been tried, because even doctor's can make mistakes. 7 out of 10