Ordinary Miracles (2005) Jaclyn Smith, Lyndsy Fonseca, C. Thomas Howell, Sarah Aldrich, Corbin Bernsen, Erik Eidem, Nancy Linehan Charles Movie Review

Ordinary Miracles (2005)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Jaclyn Smith in Ordinary Miracles (2005)

Obvious Miracles

When Judge Kay Woodbury (Jaclyn Smith - Before He Wakes) finds herself forced to place Sally (Lyndsy Fonseca), a troubled foster child, in a Juvenile Correctional Facility as there is no one else to take her she finds herself doing the unthinkable and taking her in herself. Despite being a solitary woman Kay bonds with Sally and is determined to help her, not only by discovering out why she is so troubled but why she ended up in foster care in the first place. But it is not just Sally who is getting the help because being around Sally brings out a different side to the workaholic Kay.

As TV movies go "Ordinary Miracles" is a prime example of what is both good and bad about them. Here we have a storyline which sees a workaholic Judge take in a troubled young girl is full of charm as they end up helping each other which ends up delivering a pleasant feel good message. But at the same time it is overly sweet, very obvious and suffers from a script which works through the basics but never seeks to delve beneath the surface level of the story or characters. It means that this is the sort of movie where Sally does something wrong and messes up but Kay doesn't tell her of, it simply doesn't ring true. As such whilst "Ordinary Miracles" is entertaining and a pleasant movie it's also pretty forgettable, the sort of movie you watch to pass some time or have on in the background whilst doing something else.

Lyndsy Fonseca in Ordinary Miracles (2005)

Despite this "Ordinary Miracles" still works and despite some cheesy dialogue the performances work as well. Jaclyn Smith does a solid job of playing Judge Kay Woodbury, making her on one hand a workaholic who lives her life almost by the letter of the law yet adds colour to her by being conflicted firstly by not really having a life and secondly by having a feud with her father. But it is Lyndsy Fonseca as Sally who really stands out because she is the archetype troubled teen, you can see that deep down she has a good heart but hurts over being put into care. And being shipped from pillar to post has lead to her being protective and rebellious. In a way the character is a cliche but Fonseca brings her to life and allows us to warm to her, feel for her when she messes up.

What this all boils down to is that "Ordinary Miracles" is every ounce a TV movie with a feel good storyline which whilst entertaining and charming is also quite forgettable.


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