Ordinary Things

I'm going to be quite candid. This is not the typical sort of movie I rent. However, I came upon it, read the storyline, watched the trailer and thought, why not. Boy am I glad I took a leap of faith. What a true delight of a movie. It hit me right in the heart and it contained humor at the same time. The movie was very touching but not over the top. I loved the actors. They were all so good and believable. The hospice care hit home for I went through that with my dad so it was all so relatable and this area was done so well. I loved the story! It was very well written. I enjoyed the pacing of the movie. My hats off to Director Micah Carona. There were no flat spots for me. The film moved along at a very nice pace. So for this little gem of a film it's a big thumb's up!

Ordinary Things is a light hearted, romantic feel-good movie by Director Micah Caronna.

The idea of the film is really good. Dannie (Cristina Duchesne-Rivera) fakes her wedding to her best friend Tyler (Julian Simoes), to please her Mother (Vanessa Rodriguez) as she succumbs to cancer, however she makes a miraculous recovery. Thus how and when does Dannie tell her Mother, that the marriage is fake?

I feel the film is for fans of Something's Gotta Give, Meet The Parents, Wedding Crashers, Dan In Real Life, Little Miss Sunshine and Friends. With that in mind, romantic comedy is the hardest genre and I feel the Director Micah Caronna, Screenwriter Jennifer Tobler, Producers Micah Caronna & Melissa Caronna, along with cast and crew have pulled off a solid, professional and earnest job.

The leads, Cristina Duchesne-Rivera and Julian Simoes are a believable on-screen couple, with an ensemble supporting cast.

However, I wish the film played more with the suspense of how and when the mother discovers the wedding is fake. I feel there is a lot of awkward, cute and endearing comedy that could have been attempted.

Second I felt the movie needed a little spark at points. A wacky uncle, a wild sister or a mischievous pet. Just something to give the film an injection of pace to the narrative.

That said the film is well lit and professionally shot by cinematographer Paula Mandarino. Further the colour grade (Colby Robison) is nice on the eye. The film has lovely locations (April Sneed), good costumes (Sarah Hicks), solid editing (Jarod O'Flaherty), good camera movement (Matthew McCoskey, Jessica Baker, Jason Avila, Ashley Anglade, Josiah Dockery, Carmen Shird and Charlotte Tobler) and good sound (Jamie Tobler, Asher Angled, Angled, Shelia Brown, Mayra Rodriquez and Alan Watkins). This is a professionally made movie.

For those who want a film, with it's heart in the right place, then Ordinary Things might just be for you.

Ordinary Things is a sweet movie, beautifully shot. It starts out as a comic farce but takes twists and turns that venture into more complicated emotional territory. The story takes twists that are quite unexpected, keeping the viewer engaged and invested.

The use of music here is noteworthy. It's very easy, especially in indie film with its constraints, to use music that feels too heavy or inorganic. Yet all use of music here feels perfectly well earned.

The editing is also of note. The pacing is excellent, keeping the film feeling tight throughout. Therefore, the length feels earned - never too long.

"Ordinary Things" is a cute indie that would be a great movie-night choice. Definitely recommended.

Ordinary Things is a perfectly effective and charming romcom with appealing performances and some good, solid laughs. The faith aspect is handled in such a way that unbelievers like myself won't feel too alienated, and the dynamics of the plot keep moving briskly along and ensure that the audience is never less than entertained.

Sweet and well-judged central performances keep everything on track even when the mechanics of the plot require some serious suspension of disbelief, and you'd have to be a particularly sour kind of viewer to take against the movie. It might be worth giving the trailer a skip and going in cold; knowing the details of the premise ahead of time might take some of the sparkle off the first act.

It's a warm cup of cocoa in movie form.

Such a cute film! Friends since childhood Tyler and Dannie hatch a fake wedding plan to help her dying Mom. What could possibly go wrong?! This was a well packaged story with an easy to follow story and thankfully without a plethora of hard to follow side characters. The real magic of the film was in the two lead characters' playful interaction with each other as they navigate the effect of well intentioned lies and the natural consequences. The added aspect of faith in the story and God's promise to be with his people always (regardless of the good or bad outcomes) is a central theme and the characters had to simply step out in faith. Overall a delightful rom com with a difference and a positive message of redemption.