ORDINARY ANGELS – Review

As the news gets darker and more depressing, a triumphant “against the odds” inspired by true events underdog story may be just the cure for the late Winter doldrums. And that’s exactly what this week’s new movie promises…and pretty much delivers. It’s an ode to the “help your neighbor” spirit of small-town America (not that it’s completely absent in the bustling cities). Plus there’s a bit of spirituality (right in the title) along with some folks overcoming their own personal struggles. And as a bonus, this marks a most welcome return of an actress to the big screen, in a wide release, after earning a second Oscar almost twenty years ago. In a new “real-life” role this extraordinary actress becomes the leader of a group of ORDINARY ANGELS.

The film’s story doesn’t start with her, though. Instead, we’re in the hospital room as Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson) meets his new daughter, Michelle, as his wife Theresa (Amy Acker) beams with joy. But five years later in 1993, that light has dimmed from her face in her final moments in that hospital, as Ed tearfully says goodbye. Across town, in a raucous Louisville, Kentucky honkytonk bar, Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank) is being “over-served” as her friend and partner (they co-own a hair styling salon), Rose (Tamala Jones) becomes more concerned. Cut to the next morning as Sharon wakes up in her bed, but doesn’t recall getting there. While mixing up a “breakfast bracer’, she’s surprised by the sight of Rose in her apartment living room. She insists on taking her to an “AA-style” meeting. Sharon doesn’t contribute (there’s no booze problem), but perks up when someone says that you need a “reason in life”. Stopping off for a six-pack, she finds that “reason” on the front page of the paper via a photo of Michelle (Emily Mitchell) and the headline stating that she’s in dire need of a kidney transplant after losing her mom. She swoops in, first “crashing” the funeral (in her tavern “attire”), then stopping in at the Schmitt house and stunning Ed and his mother Barbara (Nancy Travis) with over three grand in cash from a marathon cutting event at her salon. But that’s not the end of the visits from “Auntie Sharon”. She’s going to save the family from drowning in a sea of medical debt, Ed’s grateful but his pride is soon hurt by this “aid”, though his mother’s fine with it. But could Sharon be making Michelle her new “addiction” while not dealing with her alcohol reliance? And could all her efforts be for naught as the little girl’s health worsens during the long wait for a new kidney?

So yes, this is a big “for reals” return to the big screen (I’ll not count the dismal “potboilers” of the last couple of years, FATALE and THE GOOD MOTHER which landed on their respective year’s worst lists) of the gifted Ms. Swank. Sharon is an “acting meal” for her and she devours it voraciously, from the first “barfly” scene to the big dramatic finale. With her piercing eyes, we just know that she’ll melt any “cold heart’, though we understand when her “determination” can be grating to those she’s helping. But Swank is most powerful as she shows us the “dents” in Sharon’s armor, especially as she fails in re-connecting with her own offspring. It’s a real showcase for a talent who has been underused in the last decade or so. And as Sharon’s “pet project” rising star Ritchson (earning praise for the Amazon Prime “Reacher” series) conveys a real “working class” dignity as the battered but unbeated Ed. For much of the first act his furrowed brow cuts through his fog of grief until this woman storms into his days of despair. He doesn’t know quite how to respond until he finally has to erect some boundaries. This leads to an emotional release as the physically intimidating Ritchson allows us to see Ed’s anguish. As his faithful but worried mother, Travis is an excellent “sounding board’ for Ed’s conflicts, while using her nurturing spirit to nudge him onto the right path. Giving the film its dramatic urgency is the achingly adorable Mitchell as Michelle who truly shines in scenes with her older sister played with great warmth by Skywalker Hughes. And kudos to the bold, brassy, and wise performance by Jones as the BFF we all hope to have in our lives.

Director Jon Gunn keeps the script by Kelly Fremon Craig and Meg Tilly (yes the star of THE BIG CHILL and other 80’s classics) moving and establishes the setting very well (few cell phones in the mid-90s “heartland”). Certainly, he does hammer at our heartstrings (Michelle asking for Mommy), but it never gets overly sentimental, thanks to the bits of comedy concerning the “steamroller” Sharon (I kept thinking of the classic SCTV parody, Edith Prickley in “Gangway For Miracles”). Still, the dramatic momentum is sparked too often by a sudden malady (yellow eyes, coughing red) prompting another downbeat hospital visit (“Wanna go on an adventure?”). And the theme of “renewing faith” is inserted with subtlety. The film’s promoters are marketing this as an uplifting “tear-jerker’ and it delivers on that promise, though much of it has the feel of a basic cable TV movie offering. However, the work of the talented, hard-working cast led by Ms. Swank provides the wind beneath the wings of these ORDINARY ANGELS.

2.5 Out of 4

ORDINARY ANGELS is now playing in theatres everywhere