The hardest thing for any parent is watching your child suffer and knowing there is little you can do to help. The new faith-based drama BREAKTHROUGH is at its best when capturing that gut-wrenching dilemma. A true story, BREAKTHROUGH tells of 14-year old John Smith (Marcel Ruiz), who fell through the ice on a frozen lake and was submerged over 15 minutes before being rescued. For the next 45 minutes, he was treated with CPR at the scene, on the ambulance, and the emergency room with several attempts with a defibrillator. It was not until the desperate prayers of his mother Joyce (Chrissy Metz ) that the boy would regain a heartbeat. Flown to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, every diagnosis for the next few days from the medical team led by Dr. Garrett (Dennis Haysbert) predicted John wouldn’t regain normal functions – if he even survived.
Chrissy Metz does a fine job illustrating Joyce Smith frustrations with pessimistic doctors and judgmental neighbors and the turmoil she and her husband endure. There’s a convincing desperation in Metz’s hardworking performance that elevates the vanilla narrative and trite script from a choir-preaching Christian film to something a bit more relatable. I found it refreshing that a plus-sized actress was cast here. It may have been more marketable to plug a Jennifer Garner-type in the role, but the producers went with a performer who looks like the woman she portraying and should be commended (Ms Metz current popularity on the TV show This is Us could make the film a cross-over hit). Topher Grace is likeably dorky as the family’s minister while an underused Josh Lucas as John’s dad barely makes an impression. The film’s excessive length leads to some redundant scenes. Joyce’s friends/doctors/family repeatedly tell her not to get her hopes up, that John ‘s “unlikely to survive the night”, or if he does, there’s too much organ and brain damage for much of a recovery. She responds with a speech about how John’s “a fighter” and there’s no place for pessimism. Unfortunately, there’s about a half dozen scenes with variations of that same dialog. Grant Nieport’s script plays up the melodrama and manipulation though Roxann Dawson’s direction is a bit more artful than the Hallmark Channel-style normally seen in these faith-based films.
Like the similar ‘Christian Miracle’ films MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN and HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, BREAKTHROUGH is not a movie for cynics. They’ll find it naïve and superficial, but all the eye-rolling and snark likely to greet the film from some quarters won’t matter to its target Christian audience. They will sleep better at night knowing the power of prayer saved this boy and leave the theater grinning from ear to ear. Not just because it will reaffirm their faith but also because it has an emotional story, a young boy at its center (who almost drowns!), and plenty of sermons and hymns. It serves as a reminder of the great love of family – something not always well-captured on film – and has a comforting message about what is important in our lives. It may or may not convert skeptics, but if they wander into the multiplex they may find BREAKTHROUGH a nicely photographed and well-acted sermon that goes down easy.
4 of 5 Stars
