Ordinary Angels is a drama based on the true story of Sharon Stevens, a hairdresser (played by Hilary Swank), that rallies a community to help Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson) a widowed father drowning in debt and waiting for a liver transplant for his youngest daughter. This is a PG rated movie that runs for 1 hour and 56 minutes. It has themes of family, friendship, grief, perseverance, generosity, and faith.
This is a definite tear-jerker of a movie that doesn’t shy away from depicting the struggles of the characters. Sharon is a wreck herself with a drinking problem. Ed and his family are dealing with the death of his wife, mountains of bills and debt, and the failing health of his youngest daughter. But Sharon finds a renewed purpose in helping Ed and his family.
Sharon’s perseverance in her quest to help really drives home the message of Ordinary Angels, that each one of us can be the light in somebody else’s life. Sharon didn’t have much herself, and her life was a mess. But she did what she could and didn’t give up.
While this is a faith-based film, the faith aspect isn’t actually in the forefront. They briefly touched on Ed’s faith struggle and his coming back to faith moment. It’s a slight disappointment because it could have been done better, more impactful, with even just a few lines of dialogue. A missed opportunity for sure.
That said, Ordinary Angels is inspiring and the acting is great. We can expect it from award-winning Hilary Swank, but the rest of the cast is amazing, including the little girls that played Ed’s daughters. It’s a great movie to watch, but have tissues on hand.
