Fair use from Lionsgate

“Ordinary Angels” is a new family drama that was released on Feb. 22, and proved to be a very emotional and well done film. It tells the real life story of a hairdresser who brought an entire city together to save the life of a critically ill five year old girl. Despite knowing little about the film before I watched it, “Ordinary Angels” turned out to be a beautifully done production with a heartfelt true story.

Hairdresser Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank) finds herself struggling with alcoholism and feeling empty in life. One day while at a local grocery store, she sees a newspaper heading for a story and obituary of a young mother who had recently passed away. She left behind her husband and two daughters; however, the youngest was critically ill and in urgent need of a liver transplant. Sharon winds up at the young mother’s funeral and meets her family, instantly falling in love with the daughters, Michelle (Emily Mitchell) and Ashley (Skywalker Hughes). Although Sharon barely knows the family, she makes it her mission to do everything she can to save Michelle’s life.

The family is struggling financially, since all the mom’s medical bills bled the family dry. Sharon herself is not full of money, but she has the determination to help Michelle and her family. She starts out small; having fundraisers at her hair salon, but she quickly sees that although it helps a little, the money she raised barely makes a dent in the family’s bills. Despite this, she ends up proving that she can in fact help out the Schmitt family, and get all of Louisville, Kentucky rooting for Michelle.

I found the film to be incredibly emotional, as well as inspiring. I don’t often cry during movies, but I couldn’t help it during this one. Despite being a touching true story, I also found the movie to be very well made and professional. The script was well developed, with nothing feeling out of place. Every scene, character and side plot felt relevant. The sets were realistic and high quality, making it easy to get sucked into the 1990s, which was when the real life events took place.

I was also very impressed with the entire cast, especially the young actors who played sisters Michelle and Ashley . Despite their relatively young ages, they made their characters feel real and believable, without ever over doing the acting. Aside from the acting, there were also some smaller cinematic details of the film that made the overall production feel very well put together, such as the composition, camera shots, camera angles and soundtrack. I won’t go into too much detail about them, but I felt that they helped the film flow smoothly.

“Ordinary Angels” was full of many different elements, including suspense, tragedy and family love. It also explored religious faith, as it played a big role in the real family’s life. It had themes of alcoholism, family, redemption, purpose and persistence. I liked that the film showed different aspects of the character’s lives, and how they all came together with the purpose of saving Michelle’s life.

The film ends with real pictures of the people and it continues to tell their story, while also including a note encouraging people to become donors, as it was a donor who was able to save Michelle and allow her to have a future.

I don’t really have any major critiques of the film. I found it to be a great, yet sad movie without any huge flaws that are worth noting.

Overall, “Ordinary Angels” was a beautiful and heartfelt production that was as inspiring as it was heartbreaking. The film was complete with an amazing cast, while also showcasing wonderful sets and a unique script. If you are looking for a great family drama, and don’t mind crying a little, “Ordinary Angels” should be a movie you’ll love, or at least one you’ll feel inspired by.

“Ordinary Angels”: ★★★★★