The Unbreakable Boy

The Unbreakable Boy was Cinemark's Monday Mystery Movie on February 17. It is an upcoming biographical drama film written and directed by Jon Gunn (the director of last year's Ordinary Angels). It is based on the non-fiction book "The Unbreakable Boy: A Father's Fear, a Son's Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love," by Scott Michael LeRette and Susy Flory. I'll be honest, even though I'd figured out what the movie would probably be, I wasn't hugely excited about it; I was more in the mood for a rated R film (like the mystery movie being shown at AMC on the same day). However, by the time the film was done, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It tells the story of Austin, an autistic child with brittle bone disease. Austin is a joyful character who sees magic and wonder in the normal, everyday things of life. However, the focus of the film is more on the struggles his parents and younger brother face as they try to navigate how to best care for this child in the midst of the seemingly never-ending challenges created by issues beyond his control. Some people who have already seen this seem to feel it was a bit disrespectful to focus more on Austin's parents instead of him, but this personally worked well for me on multiple levels, because with a person like Austin, they are not the only person affected by their issues. Things like brittle bone disease and autism in particular affect *everyone* around that person. So it seemed only fitting that we also see the struggles his parents went through as they tried their best to care for their son. I enjoyed the balance of humor and sadness as his parents - especially his father - transition from trying to find ways to fix things about Austin that simply can't be fixed to realizing and appreciating that the unmitigated joy Austin has for life (and loving the people around him unconditionally) are lessons they can learn from him themselves. It also helped his father come to terms with the realization that there is nothing really broken about his son after all. While there are faith-based undertones to the film, it isn't anything that felt clunky or ham-fisted in its delivery, and for me it worked well (just like how it worked well for last year's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) It's a PG film, so it is suited for all audiences, though there are some darker themes that are touched on such as alcoholism and a fractured family. However, the movie handles those themes well. Video review available on my YouTube channel.

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.

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!

The Unbreakable Boy is a touching family drama based on a true story. The film explores important themes of resilience, illness, and unconditional parental love, yet it fails to fully develop them.

Pros: The story is inspiring, and the protagonist is likable.

Strong performances, particularly from Zachary Levi as the father.

A warm and uplifting atmosphere that highlights the power of family and support.

Cons: The plot is predictable, and the screenplay feels shallow at times.

Lacks depth in character development-despite its potential, the story never reaches its full emotional impact.

Overly sentimental in places, relying on clichés rather than genuine drama.

Overall, The Unbreakable Boy is a decent family drama, but it lacks originality and depth to leave a lasting impression. It's worth a watch but unlikely to stay with you for long.

This is not about a boy. Which makes it feel practically like false advertisement, considering that the trailer suggests otherwise. In fact, I'd say that the trailer has covered most of the highlights where the boy was, indeed, the focus. There are only a couple more scenes besides that.

So what's the movie is about really? I think it tried to be about a couple, at first, but then it became more about the father, and mostly him. There is a reason for this "pivot", if you can call it that, but it did not feel fair, to be honest, since it made the story somewhat one-sided.

Even if that can still be acceptable, I can't say the movie has much impact. It felt shallow for the most part. A lot of stuff is being told, not really shown (not talking about narration), which does not help with establishing connection with either of the characters. Important topics are often times touched in somewhat cliched ways, too, but life is a cliche in itself, so that's not a failure in itself. It's just that darker themes still were "too bright", too "upbeat".

Perhaps the running time of a movie was the constraint here. The story is spanning multiple years, after all, and on paper it has quite a few situations, that should stir emotions. But due to lack of time there is simply not enough room to build up to them and dramatize them properly. I think it might have worked better as a TV show similar to TV adaptation of "About A Boy", where the story was also not really so much about a boy (contrary to the title), but about him building connection and changing lives of others, including his mother and neighbor.

Alas, that's not what we have. It's not a complete waste of time, but I do no think it delivers, what it set out to.