Credit: Netflix

Alan Ritchson is usually the man leathering bad lads as Jack Reacher, so seeing him in Ordinary Angels hits differently, and if you’ve watched it, you’ll know what we mean. But if you haven’t, oh man, you’re in for a ride. The 2024 drama has now barged into Netflix’s US Top 10 movies, giving this true story fresh life more than two years after it first released.

Set in Kentucky in the early 1990s, Ordinary Angels follows Ed Schmitt, played by Ritchson, a roofer after his wife, Theresa, dies. He is left raising their daughters, Ashley and five-year-old Michelle, while medical bills keep landing without mercy.

Michelle has the same rare liver condition that killed her mum and needs a transplant. Ed is hollowed out by grief yet must crack on, helped by his mother Barbara (Nancy Travis). Ritchson, who usually has that action-star bravado, strips that and plays Ed as a worn-down father.

Then Sharon Stevens comes flying into the story, and she is not the sort of woman you overlook. Hilary Swank plays Sharon, a Louisville hairdresser with a huge personality and someone with a serious drinking problem. After reading about Michelle in the paper, she decides helping the Schmitts is now her business, whether Ed likes it or not.

Sharon is raising money and is haggling down medical costs. She even got local businesses involved. Ed is wary of her barging into his life, fair enough, but her refusal to be fobbed off becomes vital when a donor liver becomes available. What a relief! If only things were that easy. The film then races towards its snowbound climax as the community tries getting Michelle to the airport during Kentucky’s 1994 blizzard.

This is the part that feels most like Hollywood invention actually comes from real life. Ordinary Angels was inspired by Sharon Stevens and the Schmitt family and ends with footage linked to the real people. So that finale was not cooked up purely to have everyone sobbing into their sleeves.

Kentucky had to be recreated in Canada. Director Jon Gunn filmed much of the movie in Winnipeg, using its savage winter for the finale. Swank later admitted she had not expected Winnipeg to be that cold, which is understandable; dedication is one thing, but losing all feeling in your face is another.

Ordinary Angels was co-written by Kelly Fremon Craig, the filmmaker behind The Edge of Seventeen and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. That explains why grief and addiction got such a nice expression. And if you haven’t watched these films, you’re missing out on a lot.

The drama opened in US cinemas on February 23rd, 2024, earning about $20.6 million worldwide against a reported $13 million production budget. The box office was modest, but audiences responded well.

So why is it suddenly flying on Netflix? We believe Ritchson is plainly the draw. Viewers expecting Reacher somehow stumble upon Ritchson playing a father who’s hanging on by his fingertips while life keeps putting the boot in. Add Hilary Swank, and the true-story angle is enough to attract the rest of the crowd.