Based on a true story, this movie stars Hilary Swank as an alcoholic hairdresser in Louisville, Ky. who decides, at the outset of her own healing journey, to fundraise for a family she doesn't even personally know. She kind of forces her help down their throats, despite the dad's (Alan Ritchson of TV's "Titans" and "Reacher") discomfort with having her in their business. Ritchson plays a roofing contractor who has just buried his wife and must now raise his daughters with the help of his mother, played by Nancy Travis. The younger of the two girls has a medical condition that will end the way her mother's illness did, unless she gets a liver transplant pronto. Swank swoops in, soliciting donations, arranging for transportation and finally, in the middle of a once-in-a-century blizzard, pulling together a crowd of volunteers to do the impossible, to make sure the little girl makes it to Omaha to collect her new liver.
There are a lot of sickbed scenes in this movie. What the little girl goes through makes it sometimes hard to watch. And you may be surprised to learn that there is neither a spark of romance between the two leads nor an overtly religious message. Ritchson & family darken the door of their church just twice in this movie, and when Swank does so as well, it's apparently a novelty for her and she clearly doesn't fit in. But hearts of gold can be found in amazing places, even in the boozy bosom of a hairdresser who dresses like a tart and has a toxic relationship with her own son. Her vulnerability and the unwise decisions she makes in her personal life add another layer of "boy, this is uncomfortable to watch" to a movie that finally builds up to a gripping climax as the tension over whether daughter No. 2 will make it becomes nearly unbearable.
The acting is pretty good. Nancy Travis isn't afraid to look like Grandma. Hilary Swank takes naturally to the kind of character who throws a lifeline to the hero family and, at the same time, probably shouldn't be around them. Even Ritchson transcends type (stoic stud) and delivers scenes of desperate, agonizing emotion. The obligatory closing titles, showing images of the real-life people in the story and information about what happened to them afterward, are worth staying for. It's a nice movie about a small, ordinary family dealt a tough hand, and a community pulling together to help. I wouldn't call it a great film, but I think it's one that families could watch together, with characters they can root for, without the over-the-top costumes, action and effects that Hollywood seems to be throwing all its money at these days. It's the kind of decent, small movie there used to be more of and, one hopes, there will be more of in the future.
Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) Pick just about any scene where Swank's character uses her power of persistence, and her obliviousness to boundaries, to score donations, and even commitments of private aircraft and an open runway during a blizzard, for the hero family. (2) Pick just about any scene where Ritchson is about to say "no" and Travis takes over and says "yes." Like when Swank shows up with an envelope full of cash and Grandma invites her in for dinner, despite Ritchson's clear discomfort. (3) Swank's estranged son shows up with a shovel when everything depends on a bunch of last-minute volunteers clearing a landing zone for a helicopter.
The movie also stars Amy Acker (Alias, Angel), Drew Powell (Gotham) and Tamala Jones (Castle). Director Jon Gunn has written and/or directed a number of faith-centered films, including the upcoming feature The Unbreakable Boy as well as American Underdog, Jesus Revolution, The Case for Christ and I Still Believe, among other titles. One of its screenwriters is Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly, who also happens to be an author with some 10 novels to her name.
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