Quick Summary
- Who this is for: Families, faith-based movie fans, sports fans, and anyone who loves a good underdog story.
- What it’s about: The true story of Alma Richards, a ranch hand turned Olympic gold medalist, and the professor who convinced him to go back to school.
- The short version: You can find this movie in a lot of places — Prime Video, Angel Studios, Tubi, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Kanopy, Hoopla, and the Roku Channel all carry it in some form. It’s not on Netflix.
- Our take: If you want the best experience without ads or a library card, Living Scriptures+ is the way to go, and it comes with a free 30-day trial.
What Raising the Bar Is Actually About
If you haven’t seen it yet, Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story is a 2025 biopic from director T.C. Christensen, the filmmaker behind 17 Miracles and Escape from Germany. It’s based on the real life of Alma Richards, who dropped out of school in eighth grade to work as a ranch hand.
A chance conversation with a visiting professor changes his path, and he eventually ends up competing in the high jump at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics — where he wins gold.
The cast includes Paul Wuthrich as Alma Richards, along with Alesandra “Ali” Durham, Nick Mathews, Skyler M. Day, Sandy Hackett, Larry Bagby, and Walter Platz. It runs about an hour and 43 minutes and is rated PG, so it’s a solid pick for family movie night.
Is Raising the Bar on Netflix?
No, not currently. If you went looking for it there first, you’re not alone — a lot of people assume newer movies land on Netflix automatically. This one didn’t, so you’ll need one of the options below instead.
Where You Can Actually Watch Raising the Bar
Here’s the thing about this movie: it had a theatrical run first, then made its way to home viewing across a handful of different services, so there isn’t one obvious place to watch it. Depending on what you already subscribe to, here’s where you’ll find it:
- Living Scriptures+ — You can buy or rent the film directly, and doing so gets you a free 30-day trial of Living Scriptures+, which comes with over 5,000 other family-friendly titles.
- Angel Studios — Since Angel helped produce the film, it’s reliably available here with an Angel subscription.
- Amazon Prime Video — Available to rent or buy. It’s not included free with a Prime subscription, so you’ll still pay per view.
- Apple TV Store — Rent or buy, priced about the same as Amazon.
- Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) — Also rent or buy.
- The Roku Channel — Free, but ad-supported, and titles can rotate out without much warning.
- Tubi — Also free with ads.
- Kanopy and Hoopla — Free if your local library participates, though you’ll usually need a library card and there’s often a monthly viewing cap.
- DVD — If you’d rather own a physical copy, it’s available through retailers like Barnes & Noble.
Want to Watch It for Free?
Tubi, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, and Hoopla are your free options right now. Just know what you’re trading for “free” — Tubi and Roku will interrupt the movie with ads, and Kanopy/Hoopla depend on your library card and often limit how much you can watch in a given month. None of these are guaranteed to keep the movie in their catalog indefinitely, either, so if you’re planning ahead, it’s worth double-checking availability before movie night.
Should You Rent or Buy?
On Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home, renting is the cheaper option upfront, but you’ll only have access for a limited window (usually 48 hours once you hit play). Buying costs more but you keep it. Either way, you’re paying for a single movie, one time. That’s really the tradeoff worth thinking about — if you’d rather pay once and get ongoing access to a lot more content, a subscription option starts to make more sense.
Why We Recommend Living Scriptures+
Of everywhere you can watch this movie, Living Scriptures+ is genuinely the one we’d point you toward, and not just because it’s convenient. A few reasons why:
You get more than just one movie. Rent it somewhere else and that’s exactly what you get — one movie, one watch. Buy or rent through Living Scriptures and you also unlock a free 30-day trial that includes over 5,000 other titles, many in the same spirit as Raising the Bar.
It’s built for this kind of content. Living Scriptures has spent years building a library around
faith-centered, historically grounded stories for families. Raising the Bar — a movie about perseverance, faith, and doing the hard thing anyway — fits right in, instead of getting buried in a catalog full of unrelated content.
No ads, no library card, no guessing game. Free platforms come with tradeoffs: ads on Tubi and Roku, library card requirements and viewing caps on Kanopy and Hoopla. Living Scriptures+ skips all of that.
It’s a better deal if you’ll watch more than one movie. Paying per rental adds up fast if your family likes this genre. A trial (and subscription after, if you decide to stick around) gives you a lot more for roughly the same money.
You’re supporting the right kind of filmmaking. Watching through Living Scriptures helps support independent, faith-based films like this one — the kind of movie that doesn’t get made without an audience willing to show up for it.
Quick FAQ
Is Raising the Bar based on a true story? Yes — it’s based on the real life of Alma Richards, who won Olympic gold in the high jump in 1912.
Who directed Raising the Bar? T.C. Christensen, who also made 17 Miracles and Escape from Germany.
Is it appropriate for kids? It’s rated PG, with some mild thematic elements and smoking shown. Most families consider it a safe watch.
Where can I watch it for free? Tubi, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, and Hoopla, though availability can change and a couple of those need a library card.
What’s the best way to watch it? Living Scriptures+ — free 30-day trial, no ads, and a much bigger library to explore afterward.
Bottom Line
There’s no shortage of ways to watch Raising the Bar: The Alma Richards Story — you could rent it on Prime Video tonight if you wanted to. But if you’re looking for the best overall experience, one without ads, library card hurdles, or a library that vanishes next week, Living Scriptures+ is worth starting with. The free 30-day trial alone makes it an easy way to watch Alma Richards’ story and see what else is in their library while you’re at it.
Watch Raisng the Bar: The Alma Richards Story and similar movies here!
