The makers of this medical drama have a cracking climax to offer their viewers.

The problem is that the story that goes with it takes some sitting through, even with expert performances by Veronica Hamel and Pam Dawber at the helm.

If you've never heard of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, this attempted exercise in suspense will fill that gap in your medical knowledge, as you watch Dr Hamel gradually unravel the mystery behind the baffling illness of an eight-year-old boy.

Her own home life with feisty teenage daughter Cynthia Martells contrasts neatly with that of the boy and his over-protective mother (Dawber), but the story's execution is otherwise routine and bungles its developments by revealing things too soon for its own good.

Watch down the cast list for a very young Tobey Maguire.