Breakthrough proves to be a better-than-average faith-based drama that has surprisingly solid performances at its center and it almost won me over. Almost.
It stars Chrissy Metz and Josh Lucas in the true story of Joyce and Bryan Smith, a couple in St. Louis who adopt a boy named John (Marcel Ruiz) from Guatemala. He’s a rebellious spirit who goes out in the winter of 2015 to play with a couple of his friends on some ice and accidentally slips through the cracks.
His body goes into a coma and all of the doctors who examine him believe John won’t pull through. However, his mother’s faith and determination guide her actions every step of the way.
Topher Grace costars as the family’s pastor who stays by their side despite the mother’s apparent hostilities towards him being a young guy with a different approach to how church should be handled. Oh, and she has a particular disdain for his haircut.
The scenes of Josh’s fight to stay alive aren’t very compelling, but there is one moment when his mother and pastor notice that Josh may be coming out of his coma and they try to use his love of basketball as a motivating factor. They each grab one of his hands and ask him who his favorite player is: Jordan or Lebron?
This true story is well-intentioned, but ultimately suffers from relentless sermonizing and being shamelessly manipulative at every opportunity. Plus, there’s zero suspense during the story before it reaches the predictable conclusion.
I admit that I walked into Breakthrough with a large degree of cynicism and that did win out for most of the movie, but for every scene where there was cynicism, there were others that at least attempted to elevate the material through authentic acting.
Given my own personal tragedy, this should’ve been a lot more emotionally resonant. As it is, Breakthrough only marginally shines, but I’m still waiting on a faith-based movie that acts on my faith.
Grade: B-
(Rated PG for thematic content including peril.)
