Ordinary Angels – Another Overly Sentimental True Story Drama

Overcoming all odds, faith-based films continue to stay alive and thrive. While they may not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, they garner a strong contingent of loyal audiences who support them, connecting with their various messages and themes although some play up those messages and themes more strongly than others. Ordinary Angels, based on a true story, attempts to bridge that gap, wearing its faith on its sleeve but displaying it in a more accessible way. That being said, this did not make it any less tropey and insanely predictable. Along with overplaying its sentimentality as it essentially becomes another white savior story, all those flaws only work to undermine the film’s intended emotional payoff of its story. That being said, the film lives or dies, as most do, on the connection it makes with audiences or lack thereof. Its themes and message will inevitably resonate with audiences, however, absolutely everything that happens here or is discussed here has happened or been discussed in countless other films so at this point, the only thing that matters is that payoff which arguably was not there. The focal point of the film’s marketing strategy has been star Hilary Swank, tying its fate to her for better or worse. The film itself is no different as she sucks up almost all the air thus leaving little for the charm of Alan Ritchson to shine through.

As mentioned, based on a true story, Ordinary Angels follows Sharon Steves (Swank), a fiery Lexington, Kentucky hairdresser who finds a newfound sense of purpose upon reading about the plight of Ed Schmitt (Ritchson), a widower struggling to support his two young daughters. Not immune to her own struggles with alcohol, she perhaps saw it as a means to make amends for the mistakes of her past and move forwards. Throwing herself onto the Schmitt’s doorstep and quickly into their lives, Sharon was unwilling to take no for an answer as she was determined to help the family and their seemingly insurmountable debt, mostly medical debt. Suffering setback after setback, these issues left them underwater but in spite of that, Ed vowed to keep their family together though that was a task that proved more difficult with every passing day. Be it fundraising, creating awareness, or using her unique charms to leverage whatever she needed, Sharron leaned into her unique set of skills to help. However, Ed, a proud man, may not have always been the most comfortable with her and her tactics. In the end, like it or not, she was part of the Schmitt’s journey, becoming part of the family alongside Ed’s mother Barbara (Travis), who stayed with the family to help them and Ed out.

Meanwhile, for a woman who was not afraid to speak her mind, Sharon was not as open when it came to talking about herself. Focusing much of her energy on the Schmitt family, her many flaws and issues remained. A largely irrelevant subplot, it was only useful the one moment it predictably came up in the story, only for it to be brushed off soon after. The main focus for Sharon, Ed, and then their community, their main focus was Ed’s sick daughter Michelle (Emily Mitchell). Facing more hardship than any 5-year-old should face, her quickly worsening health was a burden that the Schmitts did not have the means to pay for, forcing Sharon and Ed to work even harder. What was a rollercoaster journey for them became one for the rest of their community. Keeping them going was the hope that Michelle would get a liver transplant before it was too late. Despite the odds stacked against them, they were not going to give up. After so much bad luck, they key was to keep faith though instead of looking up, they could just look to those around them.

While Ordinary Angels is based on a true story, the film’s story is built on a familiar foundation of tropes and clichés that some may be able to look past based on a connection with the story and the characters but its predictable nature and its lack of a satisfying emotional payoff made it tough to look past. Having its heart in the right place, though it has an overreliance on emotion and sentimentality to get by, it plays its hand a little too strongly. Also playing it too strongly was Swank as Sharon, an acquired taste of a character. Writing her as a white savior type, she is energetic, however, her personality comes off as overbearing more often than not. Though Ritchson is undeniably charming, he didn’t get many chances to show it here. For the most part serving as window dressing for Swank’s Sharon, the moments when the film focused on Ed’s relationship with his family, it was at its best. It’s just a shame that it was too much of the Hilary Swank show, not that she was bad by any means.

At the end of the day, Ordinary Angels lives up to the first word in its title. Those looking for another sentimental story of overcoming adversity through faith with find it here but it will barely move the needle in the grand scheme of things.

still courtesy of Lionsgate

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.