Ordinary Angels

Based on a remarkable true story, ORDINARY ANGELS centers on Sharon Steves (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in small-town Kentucky who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters. With his youngest daughter waiting for a liver transplant, Sharon sets her mind to helping the family and will move mountains to do it.

I only watched this because I like Hilary Swank, and she did not disappoint. In fact there was not a single bad actor in the entire film. From the receptionist to the 5 year old girl they all played a blinding part and made you totally absorbed and immersed in the story. A true story too.

It's a feel good story with no romance or magic or miracles, just plain people coming together to help other plain people out. It shows what can be possible when we all get together and really try.

I loved the real footage from the time which underscored how ordinary people with a little faith and a lot of human kindness moved mountains to save one little girl.

Believe in good.

A solid 8 from me.

This is a very touching film with very few surprises (there's little doubt how it will all work out). I don't think anyone with a pulse will be able to distance themselves completely from its powerful emotional impact, which is made possible by excellent performances by Hilary Swank and. Alan Ritchson. They are really wonderful in their roles. Ritchson manages to convey all the enormous pain he feels while maintaining a tough, stolid demeanor. His love for his daughters feels completely genuine. Swank gives yet another terrific performance as a woman with many serious problems of her own trying to help this struggling family. It is the Capra-kind of movie designed to make you feel better about humanity and, thanks to truly fine work by the leads, it succeeds.

Ordinary Angels is a pretty safe bet of a film. There's a dying girl. A stubborn and loving father doing his best in the face of adversity. An everyday hero who swoops in Erin Brockovich style and impacts their lives in unimaginable ways.

It makes for very inspiring, heart warming stuff that will be sure to have you reaching for the tissues at some point. It is very much marketed as a tearjerker film and it absolutely delivers on this front.

The filmmaking is probably overly cliche and doesn't really push the boat out too much. It also maybe overstays its welcome slightly with the runtime. These aren't huge issues as the narrative is really the driving force of the film, but these areas could have been tightened up.

The performance from Alan Ritchson is maybe one of the best elements of the film. He really sells it as the hard working father swimming against the tide to keep his family together. Hilary Swank is of course brilliant with a brilliantly written character. Any film with a dying child has the potential to be far too bleak, but her performance and character ensure this is never the case.

So although Ordinary Angels doesn't do anything particularly flash, it tells its story well with a couple of great performances to boot. The emotional core of the story is the real selling point, and this is executed very well making a watch well worth while.

BRAVO! TEN OF TEN STARS!!!! This is a wild ride with many ups and downs. It is a beautifully told story of a family struggling with insurmountable obstacles. The acting is brilliant. The young girls are very believable, and often hard to watch in their hardships. Hillary Swank deserves to win awards for her role. Alan Ritchson (7ft Reacher Actor) plays a wonderful father who will do anything for his family. Bring a box of tissues, this has several tear jerking moments. This movie will give you hope for humanity, it shows how the love of a community can get together to overcome anything. Perhaps the best film of 2024.

This resent Amazon release is inspiring reflecting the best in human efforts. Community is essential. Most are unaware or ignorant of how important connection between people truly is. In recent studies many people were surveyed as to what they believe was most important in health. The vast majority responded that diet and exercise were primary reason for a healthy long life. Stats showed although these are important, human socialization is key to this. Not social media, email, Facebook or any other latest craze but physical contact with other people is paramount. It's who we are, a tactile species. Family, friends, co-workers and extended family is what keeps us going. This film typifies that human condition when a woman decided to intercede in a families loss and helps a dying child survive.