Film Review: ORDINARY LOVE

WDCB’s Gary Zidek reviews the new film, ORDINARY LOVE.

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WDCB's Gary Zidek reviews the new film, ORDINARY LOVE.

Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson star in the new movie ORDINARY LOVE. The veteran actors portray Joan and Tom, a long-time married couple living in Belfast. Their relatively care-free life of retirement is flipped on its head when Joan feels a lump under her left breast. The movie unfolds almost like a documentary from that point on as we watch the couple navigate the nerve-racking steps involved with diagnosing the lump and then (spoiler alert) the grueling process of fighting the detected cancer.

Liam Neeson as Tom and Lesley Manville as Joan in ORDINARY LOVE

ORDINARY LOVE is co-directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn. To their credit, the film isn’t melodramatic or overly sentimental. Films about cancer tend to lean into tear-jerking territory. So, the filmmakers refusal to go for the low-hanging fruit should be commended. But by that same token the film is missing some heart. The journey we see depicted on screen is as clinical as the hospitals and oncology centers Joan spends time in.

Director Glenn Leyburn, director Lisa Barros D’Sa, Lesley Manville, and LiamNeeson on the set of ORDINARY LOVE. Photo credit :Aidan Monaghan

Gary gives ORDINARY LOVE 2.5 out of 4 stars. It’s currently playing at select theaters around the country, including the Landmark Century Center Cinema in Chicago.