You could easily be forgiven if when you hear the phrase "faith-based rom-com" you cringe just a little bit inside. While faith-based cinema has grown mightily in recent years, there are simply certain genres that don't lend themselves particularly well to the faith-based film world. I've seen faith-based filmmakers try to tackle the world of horror without mostly laughable results.
A faith-based rom-com? Admit it. You're probably thinking to yourself it sounds awful.
Well, think again.
To be fair, Micah Caronna's Ordinary Things isn't ground-breaking cinema. It's not the kind of film that's going to blow you away, however, in a world where rom-com often equates to dirty jokes, double entendres, and R-rated hijinks, there's something refreshing about a rom-com that doesn't forgot the rom.
Ordinary Things centers around Dannie (Cristina Duchesne-Rivera), an idealistic woman who fakes a wedding with her childhood BFF, Tyler (Julian Simoes), in an effort to satisfy her dying mother's last wish.
All is well. The two BFFs are none the worse and mom is overjoyed in her dying days.
Then, mom miraculously survives.
Ordinary Things is a rom-com with a touch of dram (Yeah, I know. I'm really stretching it.). It's a good-hearted tale written by Jennifer Tobler giving us characters we truly appreciate and a story that is both quite touching and often funny. If you're not in love with Cristina Duchesne-Rivera's Dannie by the end of Ordinary Things, you probably need to check your pulse. The chemistry between her and Julian Simoes is delightful, believable as both lifelong BFFs and perhaps even more. Both are immensely likable and they're both talented enough that even the slightly absurd elements of this tale are incredibly easy to believe.
While some will likely find the film bland since Hollywood tends to force-feed us histrionic romance storylines, the truth is there's a quiet sweetness to the film that I adored and early comedy gives way to something quite a bit more substantial.
Original music by Rachel Williams is used quite effectively throughout Ordinary Things and serves as a nice complement to Tobler's storytelling and Paula Mandarino's warm, funny, and observational lensing. It's also quite nice, I must say, to have a faith-based film with several key production roles featuring women, though I must give kudos to Micah Caronna's top-notch direction of what could have easily been turned into a one-note flick. Caronna is the pastor at Living Word Family Church, a separate but familial entity from Living Word Studios.
Ordinary Things has been picked up by indie distributor extraordinaire Indie Rights for a strong streaming release and is available via a good majority of the major streaming platforms. While the idea of a faith-based rom-com typically makes me cringe, Ordinary Things gets it right and with a strong ensemble cast, also including the always wonderful T.C. Stallings as Nate, and a top-notch production team this is a film worth checking out.
Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic
