The Unbreakable Boy

I found this movie on DVD at my public library. Its rating seems a bit low, my wife and I found it enjoyable, interesting and entertaining. The end credits and extras include the real family depicted here.

Zachary Levi is Scott, working in pharmaceutical sales. One day he is at a clothing store and sees a pretty clerk. He stammers and manages to get her phone number.

The pretty clerk is Meghann Fahy as Teresa. They start dating and soon she calls him and says, "I'm pregnant." He eventually finds out other things, a function of not getting to know a person well before falling in love.

Anyway they have a baby boy, he seems healthy but cries a lot. They soon find he has inherited the brittle bone affliction from his mother and had some broken ribs during birth. In addition, as he gets older is diagnosed with autism.

All of this creates a slew of expensive problems for the family. Scott copes by drinking too much which exacerbates the problems. The movie is about their working through all the difficulties and achieving their own definition of happiness.

I will also make special mention of Jacob Laval who plays young autistic Austin as a 13yr old. While all the actors are good he elevates it to superb.

Good, worthwhile movie.

When - 11:05 PM Where - MovieBox Pro With Who - Myself

First Thoughts - This movie is the definition of sweet and heartfelt. Kingdom Story Company once again managed to toe the line between impactful and cheesy, and it created a solid film.

I feel as though every member of the cast are actually trying in their roles, particularly Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, and newcomer Jacob Laval as the titular character Auzman. Levi, in particular, as Austin's father Scott, gives a fully fleshed out performance, portraying someone who consistently feels as though he is drowning, without realizing that he is the one doing so with the bottle. Given Levi's well-documented struggles with mental health, his inspiring journey to becoming mentally well, and his work to better others struggling with mental health issues, it truly feels as though he means and feels every word of the script he is speaking. It's as though he has thought every thought and said every word to himself at some point, and yet he still came out the other side. Fahy also gives a solid performance as Teresa, Auzman's mom and Scott's wife. She has quickly shown herself this year to be a really talented actress, specifically in roles that require a lot of emotional bandwidth. Lastly, Laval, as Austin, the star of the show, completely disappeared into this role. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that they had cast the actual real-life Austin. His performance has a naturally vibrant energy running through it, and it comes across as totally natural.

Does the story go through some familiar beats of the genre? Sure it does. Is it even somewhat predictable? I would say probably for most people.

At the end of the day, does that really matter? I don't think so.

This is a well-made, good-looking movie that tackles some very hard themes in a gentle but accurate way. There is a reason why nearly every production made by Kingdom Story Company ends up being an unprecedented success, and that's because they're good storytellers and are willing to put in the time, money, and effort to make good films.

Overall, this is a solid movie that the whole family can enjoy, and should.

Movie The Unbreakable Boy directed by Jon Gunn is based on life of Austin (actor Jacob Laval ) his younger brother Logan (actor Gavin Warren) born to Teresa ( Meghann Fahy from the series Perfect Couple)and Scott (actor Zachary Levi). Teresa is blue eyed and has brittle bones ,symptoms of genetic disorder Osteogenesis imperfecta. Austin is born with brittle bones and also dx with Autism Austin loves his mom, dad and younger brother. Austin is capable of understanding and retaining information . Austin's constant banter at home and school is very well directed. His remarks made to Logan after Logan gets into a fight with Tyler have a big impact on family. Really enjoyed the pleasant interactions between father and son and also loving relationship and glances between Austin's mom and dad.

Screenplay is very realistic. Love filled home has a big impact on children's minds and is depicted very well. This movie is supposedly based on a true story of a family from Iowa . I am in awe of both mom and dad who showed love and honesty in a relationship can have healthy outcomes even if medical world and society label developmental delays.

I am glad i saw this movie which has reinforced importance of love in raising children to keep them stable and healthy.

Austin's happy thoughts and words in having his dad at home after dad loses his job and mom not having a job is extremely touching and realistic. There is no company better than a loving mom and dad as friends.

Good Editing. Good Direction. Excellent acting.

I know a guy, probably one the sweetest people you'll ever meet, dealing with a special needs child. He loves his son more than anything and will do anything for him to make life a little easier. I read the reviews and I can't help to wonder how many people here have ever actually met someone with Autism. Because unless you have, there's no possible way you'd understand this film. Perhaps the film was written a little too specifically geared towards people with Autistic children. Still, this guy I know was overwhelmed with emotion because the movie shows the world what parents of Autistic kids deal with daily. It's a constant battle with a society that has very little empathy.

After three years of delays, "The Unbreakable Boy" was finally released, and I didn't know what to expect. I haven't read the original book or heard about the real-life events that inspired it, which means it could've gone either way. I'm glad that it went in a powerful and entertaining direction.

To start, all of the performances were strong. The core family the movie focuses on is portrayed fantastically and effectively by Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, Gavin Warren, and especially a phenomenal Jacob Laval as Austin. These characters needed to be believable for this movie to work, and I felt the actors (mostly) succeeded with this task.

Jon Gunn's directing was incredibly inspiring. I don't think it's as ambitious as his previous effort, "Ordinary Angels," but he did an exceptional job making this narrative work. His screenplay also enhances the investment I had in the characters.

With the central plot revolving around Austin, who has brittle bone disease and autism, I can only imagine how difficult it was to portray it. I felt like the team depicted Austin with care, and I learned more about these conditions than I would have, although I understand this is a film. Either way, this movie does a nice job of showcasing how people with autism and brittle bone disease might be considered different, but they can inspire optimism and joy in others. It makes for a feel-good story that moved me.

For the final positive, the pacing was solid. I felt it never drags, and I was always interested in seeing where the story would go next.

Unfortunately, as much as I tried to overlook them, some issues are plain as day.

To start, not to spoil anything, the film isn't concentrated entirely on Austin. It's divided between him and his father, Levi's Scott. Scott faces numerous struggles, one of which is trying to understand Austin. Unfortunately, many moments make Scott incredibly unlikeable. The movie chronicles a potential redemption story for him, but some of his actions distract from what should be a very inspirational story. The opening scene alone should give you an idea of why this is a problem. He's not entirely disagreeable, but several things he does infuriated me, and parents who see this will probably feel the same way.

The other two issues are minimal, more like aspects I have mixed feelings about. A side character in Drew Powell's Joe doesn't justify his existence until halfway through the movie, which is weird. I enjoyed his inclusion, but until that mid-point section, he felt pointless. The other problem is that although it stuck the landing, it happened after three other potential conclusions, which is odd. That's about it for the negatives, thankfully.

It's not perfect, but critics are unjustifiably harsh to "The Unbreakable Boy." Briefly reading into why, I'm baffled that it didn't connect with critics. It contains flaws, but not enough to call it a bad or mediocre movie - far from it.

Technically, the acting, directing, and screenplay make for a 9/10 technical score. Admittedly, one moment contained out-of-place, bad CGI, which took me out of it, but outside of that, nothing's technically wrong with this film.

The enjoyment score: the flaws are hard to ignore, but it remains a delightful time. Therefore, the enjoyment score is a 9/10. It's hard to call it an easy watch, but it's an eye-opening one worth watching!