Albert Einstein famously said: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
“Ordinary Angels” is the rare, faith-based film beloved by critics and audiences alike. That’s a miracle in itself. My guess would be that the reason critics like it is because, on the surface, it takes God and miracles out of the equation (or at least the dialogue) and avoids anything that can be interpreted as traditionally heavy-handed and faith-based-preachy.
Being a devotee of the second half of Einstein’s statement (and squarely in the faith-based sense), I disagree with the unspoken, underlying atheism that’s most likely behind a lot of the red tomato critic-happiness on Rotten Tomatoes, but “Ordinary Angels” has so much good stuff going on, I’m not going to bother picking that fight. This is the family film that Epoch Times movie fans have been waiting for.
Sharon Stevens
“Ordinary Angels” was inspired by the true story of Louisville, Kentucky, hairdresser Sharon Stevens (played by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank), who by dint of her huge heart and tireless, can-do attitude, rallied an entire community to help widower-dad Edward Schmitt Jr. (Alan Ritchson) save his daughter Michelle’s life.We’re introduced to Sharon circa 1993. She’s a cowgirl-dressing, fringed-leather-jacket-denim-miniskirt, dance-on-bars, fall-off-bars, get-back-up-on-bars, dance-the-night-away kinda gal. In short, a functioning alcoholic.
When questioned by her hairdressing colleague and friend Rose (Tamala Jones) about the 10 tequila-and-lime shots she just did, Sharon informs Rose that she’s gonna drink until she can “make just one of these guys look my age.”
Ordinary Angel
With the concept of doing good deeds at the back of her mind, Sharon happens upon a newspaper article about one Ed Schmitt (played by big bruiser-of-an-actor Alan Ritchson, best known to date as the perfect “Jack Reacher” actor, after way-too-small Tom Cruise’s admirable but thoroughly miscast attempt).
Ed, a roofer by trade and the epitome of the quiet and stoic, honor-and-duty-bound, all-American, old-school man’s man, has a ceiling-high stack of unpaid bills from when medical science couldn’t save his wife Theresa’s life (Amy Acker) from the congenital liver disease biliary atresia.
Furthermore, since both daughters inherited the disease, Ed has no idea how he’s going to pay for a liver transplant for his 5-year-old daughter, Michelle (Emily Mitchell). Elder daughter Ashley (Skywalker Hughes) got a transplant in 1991 (which the film doesn’t mention).
And so, Sharon—not considering that seeing that article just then might be a sign from a Higher Power, and muttering “stupid!” to herself—crashes Ed’s wife’s funeral (with a six-pack in the car), introduces herself to the girls (which stands Ed’s hair on end), and makes Ed an “If there’s ever anything I can do” offer.
Before long, Sharon’s completely taken over Ed’s life: organizing a haircutting fundraiser, crusading for corporate donations and financial breaks, setting about spiffying-up Ed’s work portfolio, and rolling up her sleeves and wading neck-deep into his sea of unpaid bills. She explains, by way of her business acumen and experience, that some bills are “urgent,” some are “seriously urgent,” and some, like aging fine wine, “get better with time” (that is, can be ignored).
Addiction
Sharon has been fictitiously written as an alcoholic, along with a cliché, estranged, grown son who resents her. And so Ms. Swank gives us a workable if somewhat superficial portrait of a tormented woman suppressing her grief by throwing herself into the role of miracle worker. This is not a “deep-bottom” drunk portrait; the ubiquitous scenes of her pouring her liquor stash down the drain are a tad blithe. Then again, it is PG-rated.Although Ed points out that she’s not doing this for him and his family but for herself, while true, it rings unnecessarily cruel. It could have used an explanation of what once was known in the 12-step community as a “double winner.”
There’s a 12-step group known as Al-Anon, which arose originally as a group composed exclusively of wives of male alcoholics. They collectively discovered that an extended period of intense caretaking of the narcissistic alcoholic personality will engender a virulent codependency—a people-pleasing addiction of its own, which can be just as deadly as unchecked alcoholism.
And so, sassy, do-gooder Sharon, by going all-out to help a family in need (instead of “keeping the focus on herself”), is—in AA and Al-Anon terms—a two-addictions-for-the-price-of-one, “double winner.” She unknowingly replaces her drinking addiction with her codependency addiction.
But regardless of the alcoholism storytelling device, Sharon was in the right place at the right time and got Ed and his kids the help they needed, even though Ed resented her usurping his role as the family superhero. His mom, Barbara (Nancy Travis), helping out with the girls, considers Sharon a gift, as do the kids (both of whom are absolutely adorable, by the way).
American Health Care
“Ordinary Angels” has a subtext that’s not overtly addressed, which is of course the despicable health care of “the richest country in the world.” Since 1994, America cowers more than ever beneath the medical-bankruptcy Sword of Damocles. Money-hoovering Big Pharma, Big Med, and Big Insurance, with generations of senators and congressmen in their pockets, ensure this insane health crisis never goes away. What we rely on to try and stave off financial ruin at our most vulnerable moments is GoFundMe.“Ordinary Angels” celebrates community, and kindness, and demonstrates how—when we all pitch in together—we can overcome giant financial obstacles placed in our path by the government, regarding our health care.
It’s rare that a film, wherein the outcome is already clear, can generate this amount of nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, rooting-for-the-good-guys tension, and if this story doesn’t put a smile on your face in the depths of freezing February, I don’t know what will.
Regardless of whether you think nothing is a miracle or everything is a miracle—or whether God is behind anything that looks like a miracle—ordinary folks responding to others in need with extraordinary compassion and resourcefulness is a miracle any way you slice it. And witnessing these good deeds is an uplifting, healing beacon of hope for all of us in these dark and troubled times.
