In our worst moments, the good in people comes out, and that idea is on full display in the new film “Ordinary Angels.”

There’s no shortage of wholesome content about good-natured people coming together to rally behind someone in need, and this film is no different from the others.

It’s not extraordinary, but, at the same time, it doesn’t have to rewrite the formula; it revels in it, which works to a degree with regard to the performances and the execution. 

Based on a true story in small-town Kentucky in the mid-to-late ‘90s, it stars Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank as Sharon Stevens, a troubled hairdresser with a penchant for alcohol, who, after a night of heavy drinking, learns of a local 5-year-old’s plight while reading a newspaper in a grocery store.

The girl is Michelle Schmitt (Emily Mitchell), who has a rare condition called biliary atresia.

The same disease took her mother, and she required a liver transplant.

Unfortunately, Ed (played by “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson), a blue-collar roofer bereaving his wife, is at a financial disadvantage and is struggling to keep up with his daughter’s increasing hospital expenses.

With each of his daughter’s unexpected episodes, Ed finds himself sinking further into debt. 

And there’s only so much his mother, Barbara (Nancy Travis), can do to alleviate his anguish.

Something tugs Stevens’ heartstrings, and she decides to do everything in her power to help.

As Stevens continues to give her insurmountable support to the Schmitt family, she is forced to attempt to put her past failings to rest.

One element that shines throughout the film is the character-driven drama and how each star gives a dynamic portrayal of a different facet of the Schmitt family’s predicament.

Hilary Swank gives a balanced performance as a bubbly hairdresser who wants to become the Schmitt family’s savior.

Still, her estrangement from her adult son and alcoholism leave her in desperation to try to piece her life back together.

Ritchson’s portrayal of Ed Schmitt was the most poignant of the cast — he adds emotional depth to the archetype of the stoic, down-to-earth provider.

He doesn’t want to rely on Sharon, but she keeps coming back to help him.

When life doesn’t work in his favor, he takes it with a stiff upper lip and tries to make the most of his situation, but even he can’t hold back his distress.

What’s touching is seeing him fall to pieces in his heavy desperation and when he tears up privately in moments of gratitude.

Mitchell’s performance as Michelle also adds a layer of pathos: she knows that she’s dying, and she can see the toll that takes on her family, but she doesn’t let that take away her sense of childlike imagination.

There’s a shot near the end, one of the most memorable, of a red blanket whipping through the air which showcases her mother’s memory and wonder to her father.

Certain elements of the film don’t fare well: the occasional moments of comedic dialogue are trite, and more details could have been shown on screen, namely, fleshing out how some of Stevens’ herculean efforts were accomplished.

People can call this a run-of-the-mill drama that boasts a few notable performances, but at the end of the day, the film poses the question of whether we can be someone’s guardian angel.