Ordinary Angels

Adam Ritchson & Hillary Swank both turned in top notch performances. Nancy Travis is solid as usual. The young ladies playing the sisters turned in great performances as well. The movie itself brought this grown man to tears. The mixture of both lead characters battling their demons only added to the movie's emotional impact. The struggle with addiction portrayed by Swank was heart wrenching and very believable. Ritchson's tears and anguish was a gut punch in reality. The mixture of love, loss, sadness, faith and joy has the viewer twisted emotionally throughout the film. I highly recommend this film.

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.

A heart-warming family entertainment starring Hilary Swank, "Ordinary Angels", based on a true story, is set in rural Louisville, Kentucky in the early 90's and centres around the family of Alan Ritchson's Ed character. Sadly, this is a family struck by tragedy as we quickly learn that after giving birth to two daughters, his wife dies only five years later. Even worse, their youngest daughter, has a life-threatening kidney disorder and because hard-working but hard-up family man Ed can't afford medical insurance, the bills for little Michelle's specialist treatment just keep piling up. His devoted mother pitches in to help but clearly the family is about to go under...

Which is where the town hairdresser, Hilary Swank's Sharon Stevens comes in. She too is a struggling single parent, although her apparent predilection for drink has estranged her from her teenage-musician son. It seems as if her life too is on a downward spiral until she crashes the family funeral and hooks up with Ed and his adorable daughters as a result of which she decides to help them out. This she promptly proceeds to do, beginning with a fund-raising haircut-drive in her shop. But she doesn't stop there and soon afterwards drops full-square into the family's lives and despite his initial resistance, uses her business head and sheer cussedness when it comes to negotiating deals to take charge of Ed and his finances to help them stay afloat.

But little Michelle's condition takes a turn for the worse to the extent that only a kidney transplant can save her life. It all ends up in a madcap race in terrible winter conditions to get the little girl to a hospital six hours away and will require the willing cooperation of a number of "ordinary angels", coralled together by Sharon, to hopefully save the day.

Even if one suspects that some of the action is ramped up to varying degrees for dramatic effect and I'll include in that the suspiciously contrived-looking sub-plot of Sharon's broken relationship with her own boy, you'd have to have a heart as cold as Kentucky snow not to be warmed by this tear-jerker as it reaches its nail-biting climax.

Swank is very good as the boozy Stevens who finds her own self through helping others and Ritchson too shines as the big man pushed to his limits but whose obvious love for his kids pulls him through.

All in all, despite perhaps over-stoking the fire at times, this feel-good movie will put a smile on your face even as you at times will doubtless dab a tear or two away from your eyes.

Hillary Swank is endearing, amusing, and heartbreaking in this based on reality tale. Alan Ritchson is much more convincing in this much more heartfelt portrayal than anything I have seen him in before. He really makes you feel for the character. Even little Emily Mitchel is believable as the child with a deadly illness that can only be cured by a donated organ.

The story is compelling, especially considering it's roots in actual events. It also manages to be a little surprising in spite of the last-minute-miracle-based-on-actual-events genre tropes. What really makes this movie work is the great acting, tight direction, and cinematography that gets you right into the middle of everything.

It's feel good entertainment at it's near best.

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.