Most critics find Ordinary Angels a decent, old-fashioned true-story drama, and even those who resist it concede the real events are hard to argue with. The praise clusters almost entirely on Hilary Swank, whose performance is called nuanced, forceful and naturalistic by reviewers on both sides of the verdict. Alan Ritchson gets credit from several for carrying the dramatic weight opposite her.
The reservations are about everything around the performances. The film is called predictable, sentimental and too long, and more than one critic notes that it skirts the healthcare politics behind the family’s crisis; Empire says that leaves the viewer angrier than inspired. The spread is wide, running from outright enthusiasm to dismissal. The Los Angeles Times is the sharpest dissenter, arguing the film is less affecting than the story it is based on because Sharon’s motivations never convince.
