''Ordinary Magic'' is a 1993 Canadian film about a boy who is raised in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

by his father. The story is based on the novel Ganesh by

Malcolm Bosse Malcolm Joseph Bosse (May 6, 1926 – May 3, 2002) was an American author of both young adult and adult novels. His novels are often set in Asia, and have been praised for their cultural and historical information relating to the character's ...

with Canada substituting in the film for the book's Midwestern USA location. This film marked the debut of

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion. He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...

Plot

Jeffrey/Ganesh (

) has been raised with the ideals of social activism as part of his everyday life. His father spends the better part of their lives fighting for social justice in India. After his father dies fifteen-year-old Jeffrey is sent to live with his aunt Charlotte (

Glenne Headly Glenne Aimee Headly (March 13, 1955 – June 8, 2017) was an American actress. She was widely known for her roles in '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', ''Dick Tracy'', and '' Mr. Holland's Opus''. Headly received a Theatre World Award and four Joseph ...

) in the small town of

Paris, Ontario Paris (2021 population, 14,956) is a community located in the County of Brant, Ontario, Canada. It lies just northwest from the city of Brantford at the spot where the Nith River empties into the Grand River. Paris was voted "the Prettiest Li ...

. Through several comedic situations and with considerable effort, he manages to make friends and fit into his new, much smaller world of his. However, when his aunt receives an unfair eviction notice from her sleazy landlord (

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

), every bit of his background and training comes into play, as he works with her to put on a well-publicized hunger strike, or

Satyagraha Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone w ...

, which wins the admiration of the local citizens.

Cast

References

External links

* * Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films 1993 films Films based on American novels 1993 drama films Films about human rights Films shot in Sri Lanka Films directed by Giles Walker Films scored by Mychael Danna 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films {{1990s-Canada-film-stub