Breakthrough tells the remarkable true story of 14-year-old John Smith. In 2015 John fell through the ice on a semi-frozen lake, where he remained for 15 minutes before being found and rescued by first responders. It should have killed him; but somehow, miraculously and against all odds, John survived. It’s a truly harrowing story, and I can’t even begin to imagine what the Smith family went through. But this review is about the movie. Any criticisms are about the fictional adaptation of the true story.
The first criticism is that John begins the movie as completely unlikable. He’s moody, he’s rude, he’s a dick to pretty much anyone who isn’t one of his two best friends or his crush, Abby. As terrible and heartbreaking as his situation is, you have no emotional investment in the character’s well-being, other than the “it’s sad to see a teenager like this” card. It’s sad because it’s an inherently sad situation.
A similar sentiment can be said about John’s mother, Joyce, albeit to a lesser extent. After John’s accident, Joyce is angry and short-tempered, and snaps at those who are only trying to help and support her family. And yes, that is completely understandable for someone in her position. However, there are scenes prior to the accident that show Joyce acting in a similar manner; though it’s fair to point out it’s to a much lesser degree. But it’s still enough that when it happens later on, it’s just Joyce being Joyce, when it should be a mother put in an impossible situation is just doing the best she possibly can.
That being said, Chrissy Metz leads with a fantastic performance as Joyce. Breakthrough may be John’s story, but it’s Joyce’s movie. The movie doesn’t work at all without Metz’s performance. While some of the character’s actions are questionable, Metz is able to evoke all the emotion necessary to keep the audience engaged throughout. The rest of the supporting cast is capable at best, bad at worst. But Metz is able to effectively counter-act the lesser performances to enough of an extent that they don’t often stick out like they might have otherwise.
Previous points aside, there are two big aspects that need to be covered; one good, one very bad. First, the good. Breakthrough is clearly a faith-based movie, focusing on the power of prayer and God’s will. As a believer in God, I also believe in the power of prayer, but not as a be all end all. Science and religion do not have to oppose each other. And while Breakthrough tipped the scales in favor of prayer over science, the medical aspect was given its fair shake. John’s recovery was seen as a medical miracle, but he still required round-the-clock medical care and attention.
That was a pleasant surprise, but the worst aspect to cover: the cheap cries. Like I said with regards to John, the movie is sad just by being what it is. But there is no development to make any more emotional than that. There should be countless heavy moments where the audience really feels something. But instead, each and every one of those moments feels cheap and manufactured. It’s almost as if there were notes in the script saying “audience cries here.”
This feels even more real in the few true emotional moments. There are a handful of scenes where I thought “people should be crying or tearing up right now” but they weren’t. And it’s because you don’t have main characters that you truly care about. Put a teenager in this situation and show his mom being said, you’re going to get tears. And when you have the same teenager have a real, human moment with his mom later on, you should be feeling something there too. But that was missing in Breakthrough. If John and Joyce had both been just marginally more likable, that emotional resonance would have been there, and it would have made the movie better.
In the end, it’s still a perfectly fine, average movie. But it misses on enough key beats where you’re left feeling disappointed. But Breakthrough will have its audience, to be sure. If you like these kinds of faith-based movies, there is nothing to turn you off here. But if you’re looking for something more, a more complete movie experience, Breakthrough will leave you wanting for more.
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