Offers some insight in medical science processes, but there is at least one concept that was dumbed down too much (Why volume of specific compound rises when intake of food containing it is reduced?). I'm sure it was for the lay audience, but I don't think the audience is that stupid. Nick Nolte is annoying and unconvincing with the Italian accent while Susan Sarandon's character is annoying with her obsession and selfishness. Their perseverance is admirable though, as well as their efforts to help discover the treatment for the disease their son suffers from.
The balanced view of the scientific community vs. the parents is handled quite well, and isn't as simplified as you'd come to expect in movies. The scientists and those who respect them aren't viewed with incompetence (let's ignore the dumbed-down part) or laziness, only with the eye that they do have other priorities which are not necessarily less urgent/important than the one faced by the parents.