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{{Short description|1993 Canadian drama film starring Ryan Reynolds}}
{{Infobox film

| name = Ordinary Magic
| image =
| caption =

| director = [[Giles Walker]]
| producer = Paul Stephens
| writer = [[Jefferson Lewis]]

| based_on = {{Based on|''Ganesh''|[[Malcolm Bosse]]}}
| starring = {{ubl|[[Glenne Headly]]|[[David Fox (actor)|David Fox]]|[[Heath Lamberts]]|[[Paul Anka]]|[[Ryan Reynolds]]}}
| music = [[Mychael Danna]]

| cinematography = [[Paul Sarossy]]
| editing = Ralph Brunjes
| distributor = [[Cineplex Odeon Films]]

| released = {{Film date|1993|10|21|Canada}}
| runtime = 103 minutes

| country = Canada
| language = English
| budget =
}}

'''''Ordinary Magic''''' is a 1993 Canadian drama [[film]] directed by [[Giles Walker]] and produced by Paul Stephens.<ref name="Variety">{{cite news |last1=Lenti |first1=Paul |title=Ordinary Magic |url=https://variety.com |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=November 28, 1993 |access-date=February 22, 2026}}</ref> It is based on the 1981 novel ''Ganesh'' by [[Malcolm Bosse]].<ref name="Kirkus">{{Cite web|url=https://kirkusreviews.com|title=GANESH by Malcolm J. Bosse |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]|date=April 1, 1981}}</ref> The film is notable for being the feature film debut of actor [[Ryan Reynolds]].<ref name="DailyMirror">{{cite news |title=Hikkaduwa is my favourite movie shooting location: Actor Ryan Reynolds |url=https://dailymirror.lk |work=[[Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)|Daily Mirror]] |date=March 5, 2023}}</ref>

==Plot==

Raised in India, fifteen-year-old Ganesh ([[Ryan Reynolds]]) moves to [[Paris, Ontario]] after his father's death.<ref name="GlobeMail">''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', Nov 8, 1993.</ref> Facing culture shock, he uses [[Satyagraha]] (non-violent resistance) to help his aunt ([[Glenne Headly]]) stage a hunger strike against a land developer.<ref name="CanFilm">''The Canadian Film Encyclopedia'', TIFF, 2003, p. 312.</ref>

==Cast==
The film features a mix of Canadian and international actors (alongside Sri Lankan actors for the India-set sequences):
* [[Ryan Reynolds]] as Jeffrey "Ganesh" Moore
* [[Glenne Headly]] as Charlotte Moore Strepski
* [[Paul Anka]] as Joey Dean<ref name="Anka">{{cite book |last=Anka |first=Paul |title=My Way: An Autobiography |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0312381042}}</ref>
* [[David Fox (actor)|David Fox]] as Warren Moore
* [[Heath Lamberts]] as Mayor Walton
* [[Denawaka Hamine]] as Vani<ref name="SLFilm">{{cite web |title=Denawaka Hamine: The grand old lady of Sri Lankan cinema |url=http://nfc.gov.lk |website=National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka |access-date=February 22, 2026}}</ref>
* [[Henry Jayasena]] as the Priest<ref name="Jayasena">{{cite news |title=The versatile Henry Jayasena |url=https://sundaytimes.lk |work=The Sunday Times |date=November 15, 2009}}</ref>

==Filming locations==
The production was filmed in two main locations:
* [[Canada]]: Scenes in the town of "Paris" were filmed on location in [[Paris, Ontario]].<ref name="Gazette">Bill Brownstein, "Filming magic on a shoestring". ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'', January 15, 1994.</ref> The town's historic architecture and the Grand River served as the backdrop for the protest sequences.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rybak |first=Stephanie |title=Hometown Pride: Paris, Ontario's role in Ordinary Magic |newspaper=The Paris Star |date=1992-10-22 |page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Filmed in Brant: Ordinary Magic (1993) |url=https://brant.ca |website=County of Brant Official Website |access-date=2024-05-22}}</ref>

* [[Sri Lanka]]: The [[India|India sequences]] were filmed in the [[Hikkaduwa]] region of Sri Lanka.<ref name="IMDbLocations">{{cite web |title=Ordinary Magic (1993) - Filming Locations |url=https://imdb.com |website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref> (in 2023, Ryan Reynolds stated that [[Hikkaduwa]] remains his "favourite movie shooting location of all time."<ref name="IslandLK">{{cite news |title=Ryan Reynolds recalls filming in Sri Lanka |url=https://island.lk |work=The Island |date=March 6, 2023}}</ref><ref name="MorningLK">{{cite news |title=Ryan's Sri Lanka memory |url=https://themorning.lk |work=The Morning |date=March 12, 2023}}</ref>)

== Music ==
The film's score was composed by [[Mychael Danna]], who utilized Indian classical instruments to reflect the protagonist's background.<ref name="Danna">{{cite web |title=Mychael Danna: Ordinary Magic Score |url=https://mychaeldanna.com |website=MychaelDanna.com |access-date=February 22, 2026}}</ref> Danna later won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for his work on ''[[Life of Pi (film)|Life of Pi]]'', another film with significant [[India|Indian themes]].<ref name="Oscars">{{cite web |title=Academy Awards Database: Mychael Danna |url=https://oscars.org |website=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>

==Awards==
* [[Brussels International Film Festival (1974–2016)|Brussels International Film Festival]]: Winner of the [[Audience award|Audience Award]] (1994).<ref name="BFF">{{cite web |title=Brussels International Film Festival: 1994 Awards |url=https://filmfestival.be |website=BIFF}}</ref>
* [[Genie Awards]]: Nominated for [[Canadian Screen Award for Best Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] ([[Jefferson Lewis]]).<ref name="Genie">{{cite news |url=http://playbackonline.ca |title=The 1994 Genie nominees |date=November 7, 1994 |work=[[Playback (magazine)|Playback]] |access-date=June 1, 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0107755|title=Ordinary Magic}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|ordinary_magic|Ordinary Magic}}

[[Category:1993 films]]
[[Category:Canadian drama films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films set in Ontario]]
[[Category:Films set in India]]
[[Category:Films shot in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Films shot in Ontario]]
[[Category:Films directed by Giles Walker]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mychael Danna]]

Ordinary Magic - Revision history

MHNNoella384131: done - done