Peter (George Vincent), an out-of-work actor, and Ellie (Kristina Denton), a hair-dresser, are a 30-something couple struggling to make it during the 2008-2009 recession in Los Angeles. Their home is being foreclosed on, so they call in all their favors to friends and relatives and start selling off anything they have of value (car, jewelry, stamp album, etc.). After the obligatory health-scare, just as he has scraped enough money to pay off their mortgage, Peter is at his wits-end and experiences a sort of George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life) awakening, learns to pray again, and everything starts to work out - health scare averted, friends/relatives help, brief visit from a guardian angel, and new work prospects.
As other reviews have noted, the movie's pacing is somewhat slow and the main characters (Peter and Ellie) do not come off as all that sympathetic. However, the movie's message is good and the variety of realistic side characters (mother, best friend, co-workers, bank manager, plucky nurse, and others) keep it interesting. The ending is a little abrupt, but you pretty much know how this type of movie is going to turn-out anyway. The religious tone is just about right, not too preachy, and the turn-around in the couple's fortunes also seems fairly real, as opposed to miraculous. The guardian angel scene is not over-worked, more like a ghostly encounter, and the people that help them seem decent and concerned. The John Savage role is quite brief, so I'm not sure why he's played up so much in the credits.
As other reviews have noted, the movie's pacing is somewhat slow and the main characters (Peter and Ellie) do not come off as all that sympathetic. However, the movie's message is good and the variety of realistic side characters (mother, best friend, co-workers, bank manager, plucky nurse, and others) keep it interesting. The ending is a little abrupt, but you pretty much know how this type of movie is going to turn-out anyway. The religious tone is just about right, not too preachy, and the turn-around in the couple's fortunes also seems fairly real, as opposed to miraculous. The guardian angel scene is not over-worked, more like a ghostly encounter, and the people that help them seem decent and concerned. The John Savage role is quite brief, so I'm not sure why he's played up so much in the credits.