Ordinary Angels

Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson bring terrifically resonant screen presence to this openly saccharine tale about a dying kid, her struggling single dad and the stranger who shows up to help them.

“Tons of cream, tons of sugar.”

So says Sharon Stevens, the unlikely do-gooder played by Hilary Swank in “Ordinary Angels,” ordering her coffee from the guy into whose living room she has just plopped, uninvited. You could very much say the same about the film itself.

Some people will absolutely loathe this movie. Not a few will say so without even having bothered to see it. Others will be honest enough to go watch it but already have their minds made up beforehand.

I get why — it’s an unabashedly sentimental tearjerker, a story about a dying kid, her appealing, put-upon single parent and the titular earthbound angel (that’s Sharon) who swoops in to transform their lives for the better. It’s got Hallmark Channel written all over it.

And though it’s being released by a major distributor, Lionsgate, it wouldn’t be out of line to label it faith-based filmmaking. Director Jon Gunn’s credits include “The Case for Christ” and “Do You Believe?”. While the movie’s religiosity isn’t front-and-center, it definitely shares the stage.

What can I say? Either I’m becoming an old softie or this is just extremely well-done, empathetic filmmaking. (Both, methinks.) I found “Angels” to be an engrossing, heartstring-plucking drama that finds the right notes and plays them with craftsmanship.

(For the record, I take my coffee same as Sharon — a rich tan is the preferred hue.)

Having a two-time Academy Award-winning actress around certainly helps. Swank gives a grounded, stark performance as Sharon, a fortysomething hairdresser in deep denial about her alcoholism. She’s run out on most responsibilities in her life, including a son, Derek (Dempsey Bryk), now a young adult who ignores her attempts to mend fences.

When she reads about a 5-year-old local girl in Louisville, Michelle Schmitt (Emily Mitchell), dying of a rare liver condition called biliary atresia, Sharon simply decides that she was meant to pitch a hand.

She shows up on the Schmitt doorstep, leaving Michelle’s dad, Ed (Alan Ritchson), in a dumbfounded shock. Sharon demands he bring out all the medical bills, and is astounded to learn they owe the hospital about $425,000. (This is in 1993, so that’d be close to a million today.)

On top of dealing with a very sick girl and another daughter, 8-year-old Ashley (Skywalker Hughes), Ed has only just recently lost his wife, Theresa (Amy Acker), to illness. So he owes bills for his dead spouse and Michelle’s treatment, which will require a liver transplant very soon.

Sharon starts off small, holding a haircut fundraiser at the salon where she works with her best friend and boss, Rose (Tamala Jones). They raise about three thousand bucks and drop it off on Ed’s doorstep. He’s a proud, stern type and doesn’t want the help, but his clearer-eyed mom (Nancy Travis) demands he accept it.

Things go from there. As Michelle gets sicker, Sharon becomes more and more obsessed with saving her life. Trotting all around town in her signature pink pumps and carrying a gift pan of muffins, she runs down local corporations and wealthy business people for pledges and assistance. She helps Ed get a lucrative roofing contract after tornadoes tear up the area. She gets a meeting with the hospital CEO and demands they reduce or wipe out the Schmitt’s bills.

It becomes her calling… and something else.

Rose is shrewd enough to guess that Sharon’s crusade is just another manifestation of her addictive tendencies. She’s managed to put the booze on hold during all this, and being a good Samaritan has become her drug of choice. Swank is adept at showing glimmers of the ocean of self-loathing Sharon works hard to keep hidden beneath the teased hair and sparkly skirts.

I also really liked this role for Ritchson, best known for starring in the first two seasons of “Reacher” on Amazon Prime Video. I’ve enjoyed the show but it’s a borderline satirical flex-and-punch fest where he’s asked to do little more than glare and thrash bad dudes.

He gets some lovely, quiet scenes with Mitchell where they look at the stars, talk about their missing wife/mother, and just get to be a kid and her dad. “Do you want to go on an adventure?” is his standing invitation to her, whether it’s for a walk or another emergency hospital trip. Ritchson’s soulful sea-green eyes, contrasted with Ed’s understandably surly attitude, make for a terrifically resonant screen presence.

If you’re thinking there’s going to be a third-act revelation where Ed and Sharon suddenly realize they’ve been in love all along, that’s where it diverges from its romcom similarities. The truth is they can barely stand each other most of the time, and are both focused on the girls. At one point Ed openly admits he resents her presence, but understands he wouldn’t be able to carry on without her help.

The subtly smart screenplay is by Kelly Fremon Craig, who made last year’s wonderful “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”, and Meg Tilly, an actress making her debut as a feature film scribe.

Hollywood has never quite seemed to know what to do with Swank. Despite her two Oscars at a young age, her willingness to attack non-commercial roles and her androgynous beauty — famously debated in an episode of “The Office” — have led to an up-and-down career path that seems perpetually labeled as on the cusp of a comeback.

Swank took some time off from acting to care for a sick parent and have twin children, so if anything this movie seems like it clicks right into her personal and professional journey.

Yes, “Ordinary Angels” is saccharine sweet, a creamy confection concocted to make you feel all warm and gooey inside. Ignore the hard-hearted scolds, and drink deep.