Ordinary Angels (2024)

A hair-a-thon kicks off the rescue mission in Ordinary Angels, which tells you exactly how earnest this movie is. Hilary Swank plays Sharon, a Louisville hairdresser who won’t admit she has a drinking problem, who shows up at a funeral and decides the grieving family is now her project. Alan Ritchson plays Ed, a proud widowed roofer buried in hospital bills, whose little daughter Michelle needs a liver transplant, and he doesn’t love a near-stranger digging through his finances. Swank is the engine here, pushy, funny and raw, and the two girls playing Ed’s daughters feel natural on screen. The arc is predictable from the first act, and every setback is tuned for maximum tissue use. It’s still hard not to get swept up when the whole community pitches in. It holds an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, earned a rare A+ CinemaScore and made $19.17 million domestically. A 6.7 because Swank turns a familiar story into a satisfying one. $86.51 says you tip your hairdresser extra next time and give Hilary Swank the credit.

What works: Hilary Swank gives the movie its spark, and her scenes with Emily Mitchell and Skywalker Hughes as Ed’s daughters feel natural and warm.

What doesn’t: The story follows a predictable arc, and the emotional beats are pushed hard enough that you see each one coming.

Who it’s for: Families who want an uplifting true story and anyone who loves a community-comes-together finale.