Ordinary Angels

Ordinary Angels came out earlier this year and it is very much on my Oscars watch list. From the second I saw this trailer I knew that this movie was going to cause me deep emotional issues. Both Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson were incredible casting choices and I know that I have Oscar opinions regarding this movie, but of course we also have the fact that this movie is based on a true story and the Academy loves that shit.

Sharon Stevens starts off this film as a very brash hairdresser. She half drunkenly goes to this random person's funeral after seeing the announcement in the newspaper. Also who is publicly posting funeral announcements? With like an address and shit? Sorry I just think that’s insane.

Sharon also seems to have a bit of a drinking problem and no reason to get sober. She has a son but not a strong enough reason to get sober, that’s a bit of a gut punch. She does start helping this family, fully against this fathers will. She just kind of inserts herself into this family’s life and Ed is just begrudgingly taking help. She got sober for them…she does she poured out all of her alcohol.

So the first act of this movie is really just one big montage with a few emotional moments to get you to care. I get that they have to fit a lot of events into a single movie so I guess I understand. But I think that essentially having two montages back to back is a bit much. I just think that there was maybe another way to do that.

This sweet, beautiful, sick little girl is drawing a family tree and she tells her dad, “I can't remember which color to use for her eyes”, so now I am a sobbing puddle on the floor. Emily Mitchell, the little girl that plays Michelle is adorable and it's so upsetting. She then has a moment with her sister and she asks how long it is till Christmas because she knows that the doctors said she doesn’t have a lot of time. “Will you open my presents for me if I'm not there?”...I think this movie is on a mission to destroy me.

Sharon is using her addict energy to help this family, and yeah she is doing a lot for strangers but she is doing it from a goodness. Her friend kind of sucks. I get wanting to help your friend through their addiction, but can’t you recognize that she is doing a good thing and I don't know, maybe help?

When Ed gets fed up with her inserting herself into their lives, she gets called out on her lack of boundaries and she decides to respond to that by drinking until she passes out, while watching the children…hate that so much. Wow, way to get me to stop rooting for you really fast. I have so little sympathy or empathy for addicts that make their addiction other people’s problem. For clarification it is not a disease it's a mental illness, disease is uncontrollable, addiction is not and this is a hill that I will die on.

Overall this movie is heartbreaking and incredible. I love that it is based on a true story and that the little girl lives. As far as Oscar nominations go I think that if they get any it will be performance nominations, I don’t think that it will quite make the cut for writing awards or best film. But I think Hilary Swank has a really good shot at the best leading actress category.