Lorenzo's Oil

Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

  • 94% of critics liked it
    (32 reviews)

  • 76% of users liked it
    (14,672 ratings)

Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte give brilliant performances as parents trying to save the life of their son in George Miller's harrowing and heartbreaking Lorenzo's Oil. Based on a true story, the film begins as bright young Lorenzo (Zack O'Malley Greenburg) is leading a pleasant life on… More

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PG-13,
Directed By
Written By
George Miller
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Dec 30, 1992 Wide
MCA Universal Home Video

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    If any movie of recent years deserves to be called "inspirational"--a much-abused term that one hesitates to revive apart from exceptional circumstances--this one certainly does.

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Sarandon ... convincingly conveys a fierceness and tenacity that is almost frightening. The character never lets up, and neither does the film.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    The film comes over as a tour de force version of the disease-of-the-week TV movie: half scientific detective story, half domestic drama, replete with scenes of suffering.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    This film has an appealingly brisk, unsentimental style and a rare ability to compress and convey detailed medical data.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    It takes a heartbreaking story and pushes it to the limit, showing us the lengths of courage and imagination that people can summon when they must.

Read all 12 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Mike S


    There's nothing more horrible than watching an innocent young child suffer in agony. In this heart-gripping drama, we follow two desperate parents (Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon) as they struggle to find a cure for their son, who has fallen victim to a rare disease known as ALD.… More

  • AJ V


    A great true story, but it's so boring as a film. I had to watch this in a class I had once, and I just couldn't get into it, it was dull. I'd only recommend this to real die hard drama fans who love real life stories played realistically. Overall, it's pretty… More

  • jay n


    Emotionally harrowing film of a dedicated and persistent couple's struggle to find help for their son when he falls victim to a terminal illness. Intensely real performance by Susan Sarandon and a strong one from Nick Nolte although his accent while accurate for the character… More

  • Steve K


    Criminally underseen and astonishingly powerful.

  • Dean M


    Extraordinary true-life story of two devoted parents who, discovering that their young son has the fatal disease ALD, set out to find a cure despite having no medical knowledge.

Read all 11 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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