Imagine having a child who was born with brittle bone disease. A disease where one’s bones break easily and often. Then learn later that this child is also on the autism spectrum while you yourself are dealing with an alcohol addiction, a crisis of faith and marriage troubles. It’s a lot to take in. That was Scott LeRette’s story which he told with the help from New York Times best-selling author Susy Flory, for the book, Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love. It was published in November 2014. Six years later, Lionsgate announced that a movie based on the events in the book was in the works.
If you’re unfamiliar with book, as I was while watching the film, The Unbreakable Boy you may find yourself wondering just how much of this was real. The film begins with a love story between Scott (Zachary Levi) and Teresa (Meghann Fahy). They only have a handful of dates before Teresa finds that she’s pregnant. (Scott didn’t even know her last name by this point.) Nine months later, they have a son, Austin (played by three actors, but mostly Jacob Laval). He got his brittle bone disease from his mother. His parents decide to get married before really knowing each other well. All of these things seem reasonable. But when it is revealed that Scott had an imaginary friend that he speaks to every day, you might think that this storyline is a gimmick. But it’s true.
The movie has a great cast including supporting characters. Scott’s mother is played by Patricia Heaton (who has some great comedic moments). Scott’s dad is played by Todd Terry, who offers wise advice (like stay away from your mom when she’s upset) and Austin’s younger brother Logan (Gavin Warren) acts more like his big brother). And when it comes to Joe, Scott’s invisible buddy, it would have been a lot less enjoyable if he wasn’t played by Drew Powell. But unlike Kingdom Story Company’s last few faith-based films – the touching and thought-provoking Jesus Revolution and the hilarious The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Unbreakable Boy…feels incomplete. Lionsgate must have felt the same way too. The movie was originally scheduled to open in theaters in March of 2022, but was held back just eight days before its release date with no real reason why.
The Unbreakable Boy IS a good movie, and it shares the family’s struggles well. At times it comes across realistic (there’s even a little swearing here and there), but it’s inconsistent. The conversations that Scott has with this “friend” are fun and add some levity, but they don’t add up to much. They only punctuate Scott’s need for real friendships. The scenes that involve his parents are good, but they are too short. Despite the heavy subject matter, the movie lacks an emotional depth. Sometimes it feels a bit melodramatic. I hate to say it, Levi is good at comedy but I’m not so sure that he is all that believable doing serious stuff. There are moments when his character should feel devastated or be at his wit’s end, but it doesn’t come across that way at all. So, while the movie is good, it’s not as good as it could be.
Perhaps director Jon Gunn, who was also a writer for the movie, wasn’t completely sure what kind of movie he was making. Is it a family film? A movie for couples? A movie for men? It seems as if he was trying to cater to every audience instead of focusing on one or two. And then there is the matter of children.
There is a side story that involves Austin’s brother, which has a nice message, but it feels tacked on. Unbreakable Boy is not unlike previous faith-based movies that feature young children in starring roles. Movies like Letters to God, Heaven is for Real and even the well-done Miracles from Heaven all feature at least a scene or two where the kids are mugging for the camera. The same is true here even though Laval does a pretty incredible job with his role. But it’s his narration that doesn’t land well. It’s “cute” and maybe that is exactly how he talks in real life, but the film might flow better if the narration was from Scott’s point of view or have no narration at all. Don’t tell us about emotion. Show us.
However, I did appreciate the message “that every day can be the best day of your life!” Austin describing the perfect strawberry milkshake is the best.
Main Image: Zachary Levi and Jacob Laval (Lionsgate)
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