Ordinary Magic (1993) User Reviews

From India to Canada

[wrxsti54 · 6/10 · 15 June 2020]

This has to be one of the most interesting and unusual plot lines for a movie that centers around a teenage lead star. A boyish looking mid teen Ryan Reynolds stars as Geoffrey/Ganesh, an American boy raised in India by his quirky father who led protests in India and lived amongst the poor as an Indian.

Geoffrey is sent to a small town in Ontario to live with his aunt after the death of his father. Geoffrey is used to warm weather, loose fitting Indian clothes, the simple 3rd world lifestyle and Indian culture such as eating with his hands, yoga and Hindu religious practices all of which are radically different from cold, small town Canada. Geoffrey exudes innocent naive charm and navigates the North American teen world rather amusingly with a typical Indian accent. To have a tallish blond tanned white kid dressing and acting like an Indian makes not only for an unusual plot line but for understandable ribbing In the story line.

The movie devolves into a small person versus big corporation moral fight but with a Hindu twist as Geoffrey leads a Gandhi style passive resistance sitting on the porch of his aunt's home shirtless in Indian garb in a manner of Hindu prayer to defend them from demolition and destruction.

This part of the movie is a bit cliched and predictable hence me only giving it a 6 BUT the unusual plot line makes for some intriguing adjustments for Geoffrey that Reynolds does a pretty job at. This was only Reynolds second acting gig and he makes the white boy Indian blend work surprisingly well even down to him some pretty tricky yoga exercises that can't have been easy for a 15 year old boy to do.

Typical Canadian

[kelly-gaudreau · 6/10 · 7 April 2022]

It was interesting to see Ryan Reynolds in his first movie role. The film won a Genie Award, Canada's version of the Oscars, for Best Adapted Screenplay. I have to say it is a very typical Canadian movie set in Paris, Ontario.

filmed in my town

[MickyIrish · 5/10 · 2 December 2006]

This movie was filmed in my home town Guelph, On. lots of people i know were extras in it. I didn't even register that Ryan was in this movie until i looked up his listing of films that he accomplished. I haven't seen this movie in a really long time. Its kinda cool it was like his second movie that he did. i think hes gotta lay off the comedy its getting pretty old my opinion i don't know. Another crazy thing is that my youngest brother was like 2 when this was made and he can be seen in the background of the movie being pushed in his stroller. if i remember correctly the movie kinda stunk, but what can you expect from a Canadian film?

Eastern Wisdom Meets Western Greed

[Lechuguilla · 8/10 · 19 January 2005]

OM is an ancient Hindu mantra, or sacred chant, that originated in Eastern cultures, and is used all over the world in spiritual practices such as yoga. OM is also an acronym for "Ordinary Magic", a low budget, indie film about a teenage boy (Ryan Reynolds) who, after having lived in India all his life and having learned spiritual ideas taught in India, moves to Canada to live with his aunt (Glenne Headly). The boy thus transports his knowledge and practice of Eastern religion to a totally different culture. In the story, both he and the people with whom he interacts must deal with ideas and ways of living that seem strange.

Part of the film's plot involves a greedy developer (Paul Anka) who tries to force the boy's aunt to leave her ancestral home, to make room for condos. The resulting conflict presents an opportunity for the boy to apply the spiritual principle of "satyagraha", as a way to resolve the conflict. The film's message here is rather simplistic, but archetypal. It's a clash between East and West, of materialism and religion, of David and Goliath.

"Ordinary Magic" is an unusual film. Some Westerners will be put off by its none too subtle message. Others will find the message refreshing. Because of its low key style and contemplative screenplay, I personally found OM to be a welcome change from the usual, mindless junk churned out by the Hollywood peddlers of violence and gore.

A wonderful story well told.

[Havan_IronOak · 8/10 · 27 May 2001]

When Warren Moore dies as a Canadian expatriate in India, he leaves a son Jeffrey who has been raised his entire life in India and who has been taught to follow Indian beliefs including Hinduism.

Jeffrey (nicknamed Ganesh by his father) is forced to return to Canada to live with Charlotte, his father's sister. Jeffrey's beliefs are as foreign and unsuited for Canada as his wardrobe.

Charlotte is not entirely able to take care of herself, let alone a teenager who is different. She has been ignoring legal notices for some time and is in danger of losing the family's ancestral home.

Jeffrey's fellow high school students and even his teachers quickly single him out as different. He is mocked for his different way of speaking but the students and faculty soon learn that Jeffrey has an inner strength that makes him different in positive ways as well.

Some students are more generous of spirit. Tom, the captain of the high school basketball team, and Lucy, a girl at the school, take an interest in him and befriend him.

Jeffrey finally gains acceptance and a bit of local notoriety when he starts to aid his aunt in the struggle to keep the family home. He explains the principles of satyagraha to her and they begin a hunger strike that end up changing the whole town.

This movie is a great story, well told. The movie has an honest, genuine,

life affirming quality ably served by the Cat Stephens music sprinkled throughout. Ryan Reynolds and Joe Roncetti are adorable as Jeffrey and Tom and Glenne Headly is very convincing as Charlotte.

A boy moves from his home in India back to Canada

[Verona · 21 January 2000]

This isnt necessarily so Canadian that someone from the United States couldnt get it. I saw this movie a few years ago, and have always remembered the face of young Ryan Reynolds, who I recognized recently on "Two Guys, A Girl and Pizza Place". His ability to be a boy WITH such abilities who must be so different from him in real life (the boy knew intense yoga and meditation) was quite the feat and young Reynolds handles it quite well. Although the plot may seem a bit hokey, strong performances of Glenne Headly and Reynolds carries it off well.

Ryans' great

[timrobin-2 · 9/10 · 23 August 2005]

Some movies start slow in the beginning and you lose interest quite fast. Ordinary Magic kept me captivated from the get-go and reminded me of how easy it is to loose priceless memories of your home and growing up. The way Jeffery shows his compassion for his town,home and his aunt is just the beginning of what one person can do as well as making fellow residents realize large corporations will walk over you and do what is necessary to get the job done. Even if this is a movie, it does hold truth even today with Isreal and government not corporations. Every time I see Ryan Renolds I remember Ordinary Magic. (It had that much impact on me).

Thoughtful look at a displaced person

[cooprenner · 9/10 · 2 April 2000]

I come very close to adoring this movie. Besides its thoughtful presentation of Hinduism in action, in the life of one young practitioner, it admirably portrays the sense of displacement the central character Jeffrey [Ganesh is his nickname] feels after his father dies and he realizes that, even though he has grown up in India and considers himself an Indian, he is viewed as a "foreigner" by most of the people in the village in which he has lived. He goes to Canada [to the U.S. in the book] to live with an aunt he has never known and to try to adapt to Western life. But, as it turns out, he is as much an eye-opener to his fellow students as the West is to him. Toward the end the film is a little too simplistic, in its presentation of Jeffrey's determination to put his Hindu beliefs up against a voracious development planner, but overall this is a feel-good movie with true heart and soul. The original novel, first called "Ganesh" and now published as "Ordinary Magic" as well, is a fine and worthy young adult book, intelligent enough for adults too.

What the hell is "satyagraha"?

[Tomm2 · 8/10 · 23 March 2013]

Or in other words, where in hell was the local press? The hunger fast went on for days and days, but it was nearly a full week before the one, single TV reporter on scene managed to get the pronunciation right, so apparently there were no stories explaining that Our Hero, nicknamed for a Hindu god, was attempting the kind of non-violent resistance that Mahatma Gandhi waged so successfully against the British Empire? Hint: Fasting and sitting-in were not the only means he used; Gandhi was also big on protest marches to take his campaign directly to the opposition. Pacificism does not mean passive-ism.

So it's only a story, not something particularly related to the real world-- and not just because the Good Guys win. That said, it is also thoroughly entertaining. For one thing, Ryan Reynolds says was only 14 when they were shooting major segments in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), though his character is supposedly 15 and raised in India (and he was 17 in 1993 when the picture was released. While he spends a surprising amount of time without a shirt, he's still just a kid with improvable teeth and not yet the romantic silver screen success he became later. He could, however, definitely act even then. While young enough to hold a number of difficult yoga postures, Ryan's craft is strong enough that he can sell an Indian accent successfully, and to be convincing alien from being raised in another cultural world entirely.

Actually raised in the Toronto area, which is where the bulk of the story was shot, Reynolds's only previous screenwork was on a Nickelodeon series shot in Florida with fellow Canadian, and later romantic link, Alannis Morisette. Villainous Paul Anka, a former teen idol who does not seem to get mentioned in the cast list on this site, is a fellow countryman. That all gives gives me a good feeling, though none of the non-US factors may interest anyone else.

In the same way, I was thoroughly annoyed by the absence of newspapermen, of any attempt to get publicity for the protest or to whip up support, the lack of outrage from anyone over either the potential destruction of what should be a town landmark built by one of its leading early citizens, or the economic catastrophe for the town and many of its individual citizen investors when the entire megaproject is threatened, along with the loss of profits from the promised flood of international tourists. None of such pesky details and considerations get in the way of this fairly simple-minded story.

And while such a casual connection to the actual world irritated me, probably none of that matters if all you want is some time pleasantly idle on your tension-free way to the guaranteed "feel good" ending. You could do definitely do worse than spend awhile with one of today's most attractive leading men and appreciating the chance to enjoy his work as an unknown starring as the lead in the very first motion picture he ever made.

eerily prescient

[SHAWFAN · 10/10 · 24 March 2007]

I originally saw this movie as a purchased VHS because in the cast was the late Heath Lamberts, a Canadian actor and comedian whose work I had admired for decades. But as the plot unfolded (see your other commentators) I saw that it was based on a legal maneuver that was to replicate itself in the US some 10 years later, namely the condemning of private property by the state in order to transfer it to a private real estate developer. In the novel/movie the plot was foiled but in the US the outrage generated by the Supreme Court's allowing this to take place (originally somewhere in New Hampshire I believe) inspired a slew of laws, both federal and state, being proposed to prevent it from happening again. In fact an internet plot was hatched to form a private development company and then go to the town council of the home of Justice Souter (I believe) whose swing vote in the 5-4 decision allowed it to pass, and propose a development which would have allowed that city to condemn Justice Souter's very own home for that purpose. I don't know how that all turned out. Bravo to Ryan Reynolds in a fine teenage career-starter. But wasn't Paul Anka's name left out of the list of credits? Did I miss it?

A beautiful feel good film

[bradley-matchett · 1 July 2004]

This morning I was flipping through the channels on television and came across this film which had started only about 15 minutes before.

I was immediately interested in watching the film and put aside my plans to go out until the film had finished. I was completely riveted to the screen by handsome young Ryan Reynolds and his extraordinary performance as Jeffrey. Mr. Reynolds Indian accent seemed very realistic to me, and I was very impressed with his dedication to the role, even going so far as to learn some of the Yoga the role required him to do.

In some sense the storyline was familiar (David versus Goliath), but it is a wonderful film with good performances by all including Glenn Headley as Jeffrey's aunt and an over the top performance by singer Paul Anka as the manipulative land developer who will not take no for an answer when Jeffrey's aunt refuses to sell her house.

Eventually Jeffrey teaches the townspeople and his aunt some lessons in acceptance and in standing up and fighting for what you believe in. This film will give you hope about the good in people and will leave you feeling very nice at the end.

More than an afternoon special.

[Bernie4444 · 10/10 · 9 January 2024]

This movie has the formula that many afternoons' specials use, where the displaced kid knows more than those around him.

Ganesh is a young Ryan Reynolds.

Glenne Headly plays charlotte It is the interaction between the two characters that makes the focus of the movie.

The title is the redeeming factor. The movie presses upon you the lessons of magic. That it is real and works in ways not planned. At any moment, they could have lost their house. Due to process and time, people had time to reflect on what they were doing. Therefore, magic does not have to be supernatural. Especially ordinary magic. Similar to miracles, it is not a supernatural process that is a miracle; it is that the process happens when you need it.

Annoying

[Jordan-36 · 26 May 2001]

This is a film from Canada that proves our neighbors to the north can be just as preachy as our very own Hollywood. Basically, Jeffrey is an annoying little snot, raised in India and sent to Canada after the death of his father. Jeffrey moves in with his aunt, who is presented as a free spirit but basically comes across as a flake. Evil developers want the aunt's house so Jeffrey leads a nonviolent protest and basically brings enlightenment to the world. Or at least Canada. Jeffrey is played by Ryan Reynolds, an actor who projects such an air of sainthood that most viewers will probably want to beat the living Hell out of him.

Sexual content

[staffordncarole · 10 June 2020]

The is a graphic female male seen on a television main character turns on tv in kitchen. Another seen main character is righting a letter to a fiend while there is very graphic sexual moans from next room can he herd.