written by: Meg Tilly and Kelly Fremon Craig
produced by: Jon Berg, Roy Lee, Dave Matthews, Johnathan Dorfman, Sarah Johnson, David Beal, Kevin Downes, Jon Erwin & Andrew Erwin
directed by: Jon Gunn
rated: PG (for thematic content, brief bloody images and smoking)
runtime: 118 min
U.S. release date: February 23, 2024
If you’re curious about this “based on a true story” tale after watching and looking up “Ordinary Angels” online, you’ll likely see it’s described as a “faith-based” cinema. Such a description is a head-scratcher since there’s nothing overtly Christian or religious about the movie. While it is directed by Jon Gunn, who helmed 2017’s “The Case for Christ” and co-wrote last year’s “The Jesus Revolution,” at no point does a movie revolving around the kindness of strangers where a community comes together to help a gravely ill girl in need, feel like it’s a story that’s exclusive to Christianity. That’s a good thing. Kindness and serving others shouldn’t solely derive from faith in God. Instead, it should just come from seeing and meeting that need by any means possible.
The story is written by Meg Tilly (yep, that’s right) and Kelly Fremon Craig (who directed last year’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” – which also wasn’t exclusive to Christianity), based on actual events that occurred during the major snowstorm in Kentucky back in 1994. It’s a genuinely inspirational story that comes at its heart-tugging earnestly, whereas viewers would typically get hit over their heads with some “message.” The people in this story feel real, thanks to a solid main cast, who deliver believable performances. Sure, there are some emotional buttons pushed here, but there should be a way for this kind of story to work.
The story opens in 1993 Kentucky, where we meet Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson), a recently-widowed roofer doing his best to care for his two daughters after losing his wife to Wegener’s Disease. 5-year-old Michelle (Skywalker Hughes) is his youngest, who’s dealing with her own medical battle, fighting a liver disease that will eventually require a transplant. A proud man who keeps to himself, Ed is over his head with mounting medical bills and gradually losing hope. While he does receive support caring for his girls from his mother, Barbara (Nancy Travis), he’s going to need a lot more work to make ends meet and stave off depression.
At the same time, we also meet Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank) is a local hairdresser who owns her own salon and self-medicates her own personal problems with alcohol. She’s one of those alcoholics who thinks everyone else at an AA meeting is worse off than she is. When she becomes aware of Michelle’s condition (word travels fast in small-town America), she takes great interest in meeting the young girl and her family, seeking to understand their crisis, and determining how she can help. This attention is awkward for Ed, especially when she first meets Sharon at his wife’s funeral. We soon realize that when Sharon puts her mind to something, no one around her can sway her. If only she had responded that way when her friend Rose (Tamala Jones), a salon employee, challenged her about her drinking.
In no time, Sharon spearheads a fundraising effort to help with Michelle’s medical payments. This is long before GoFundMe, so we witness Sharon’s resilient hustle as she lets everyone she encounters know about the needs of this young girl. As she becomes a frequent presence around Ed’s family, Sharon learns just how much Ed is in debt (over $400,000!) as he becomes overwhelmed with her take-charge personality, despite his mother, Barbara (Nancy Travis), showing an appreciation for Sharon’s unsolicited help. Throughout all this, both Ed and Sharon have to deal with their own grief, the loss of his wife, and her estrangement from her adult son, Derek (Dempsey Bryk).
Two things are certain when we read the synopsis for “Ordinary Angels” with the understanding that it’s based on a true story. This is a story where a young girl with an illness met her needs, and she’s doing just fine. This wouldn’t have been made into a movie without a happy ending. Knowing what should be and actually is compelling here is the journey these characters take, especially considering they are based on actual people. Also, you will definitely see photos of the real people this is based on during the end credits.
The story provided by Tilly and Craig doesn’t shy away from the addictive behavior that Sharon displays, whether it’s her already established alcoholism or how she assists Ed’s family, which becomes another obsession. But, it also doesn’t get into the ugly side of addiction either since this is a feel-good, inspirational story. Regardless, two-time Oscar winner Swank is an excellent fit for the role. She deftly shows how overbearing Sharon’s kindness can be at times while also displaying her flaws and the neglected areas of her own that she needs to work on. Through it all, Swank conveys an authenticity for a character that could’ve just checked off all the Erin Brockovich requirements.
The screenplay also allows Ritchson to veer beyond the stereotypical one-dimensional material. Instead of being the big, strong, and proud working-class guy from the Midwest, we see a vulnerability in Ed. Considering he’s currently known for playing a spot-on Jack Reacher, showing viewers that he can stretch and not just flex is nice. Ritchson is surprisingly effective as the beleaguered father, expressing the stress of his situation with honesty. It’s hard to say whether either of these portrayals is loyal to their true-life inspiration, but it really doesn’t matter since they work for this movie. Perhaps what’s most interesting about “Ordinary Angels” is not the inspiring story we expect (although it does that well) but rather the balanced screen time given to the characters of Sharon and Ed.
With nine producers involved in making “Ordinary Angels” happen, one wonders how this all comes together. It’s not like this was a story that the media spread throughout the nation or globe, but back in the 90s, the 24/7 news cycle wasn’t as prevalent as it is now. It turns out musician Dave Matthews (who serves as one of those producers) brought this story to the attention of one of the producers, and it was eventually presented to Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, a Nashville-based studio primarily known for producing Christian films. Now, that could be a deterrent for some, and that’s certainly understandable considering the heavy-handed messaging and subpar quality associated with those types of movies. However, as previously mentioned, this isn’t a movie that leans heavily on anything related to Christianity.
Ultimately, “Ordinary Angels” is less about a community coming together to help a young girl and more about two broken people unexpectedly finding each other at the right time. The expected manipulation is obvious but never overwhelming. It’ll leave you feeling whelmed that a heartwarming story like this proves that people can come together to do something good for someone in need. Too often, these kinds of stories only make it to the last five minutes of the evening news.
RATING: ***
