Director: Jon Gunn
Starring: Hilary Swank, Alan Ritchson, Nancy Travis
Running Time: 118 minutes
Synopsis: The setting is Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1990s. Sharon (Hilary Swank) is a middle-aged hard-drinking hairdresser, and through the media she learns about roofer Ed (Alan Ritchson), who is struggling to raise his two daughters after the death of his wife. His five year-old younger daughter Ashley suffers from a rare disease and needs a liver transplant, and the medical bills are mounting. Sharon decides to help, starting with a modest fundraising campaign, but her own demons threaten to get in the way.
What Works Well: Based on actual events (with some embellishments), this is an uplifting drama about one woman reaching out, and a community rallying to support a family in need. The story carries the inherent emotions of profound loss, struggle against a rare disease, and a crushing financial burden, but the characters propel the narrative. Hilary Swank finds all the human corners beneath Sharon's brassy exterior as she embraces a cause as an alterative to drowning her failures in alcohol, and Alan Ritchson brings stoic pride to the decent working man reluctant to accept outside help. The faith elements are present but subtle.
What Does Not Work As Well: The sentimentality dial is occasionally turned to eleven, and the climax piles on the (sometimes literal) obstacles on the way to the pre-ordained ending.
Key Quote:
Sharon: I'm good at plenty of things. Taking no for an answer ain't one of 'em.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome reader comments about this post.