*With the enormous success of “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: infinity War” set to do monster business in less than 3 weeks, it would be easy to overlook Disney’s small, faith-based film “Breakthrough” – which hits cineplexes April 17. You shouldn’t.
This is a powerful, emotionally moving film. Deftly directed by Roxann Dawson – still best known as the character B’ Elanna Torres from the “Star Trek: Voyager” TV series – “Breakthrough takes a simple story and makes it powerful and unforgettable.
The script is based on the true tale of a suburban, Guatemalan teenager named John Smith (Marcel Ruiz) who slipped through an icy lake in January 2015 while playing with friends and had no pulse for 45 minutes.
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The cast and filmmakers of #BreakthroughMovie can’t wait for you to see this movie on Wednesday, April 17th! pic.twitter.com/wPP4u8iIrF
— BreakthroughMovie (@SeeBreakthrough) April 12, 2019
At that point, after the valiant efforts of the medical staff had failed, the movie had been solid but pretty average. John felt out of place at school, rebelled against his mom, pined for a cute girl in his class, resented being adopted and was not a team player.. A non-traditional pastor named Jason Noble (Topher Grace) at his church hit people, including his family, the wrong way.
In short, the film barely had a stronger pulse than John did when his mom was given a minute by the doctors to say goodbye.
It is then that Chrissy Metz (“This Is Us”) takes the film by the horns and never lets go. As John’s mom Joyce Smith, you see her grief and defiance building until she prays and screeches, while falling short of demanding that God give her back her son. It is an extremely powerful moment, with Dawson’s deft direction helping make the scene powerful.
But make no mistake, as John miraculously regains his pulse, it is Metz’s movie from that point on.
She reconciles with her pastor, has to deal with a husband Brian (Josh Lucas) whose faith in John’s recovery has wavered to the point that he does not want to stay in the room with John and her.
Joyce also has to deal with doctors who tell her that even if her son wakes up, his organs will likely be irreversibly damaged and his brain will be so injured that he will basically be a vegetable.
The #ThisIsUs family is here to support Chrissy Metz as she shines at the #BreakthroughMovie Hollywood Premiere. pic.twitter.com/E8pCWqwqSj
— BreakthroughMovie (@SeeBreakthrough) April 12, 2019
While Joyce being defiant and praying for her son would not seem to have enough story to take up the remaining hour-plus of the film, the strong script and direction help, as do fine characters like Tommy Shine, played by Mike Colter (“Luke Cage”), who is a first responder who doesn’t believe in God who believes that God helped him find John in the lake; Maddy Martin, who plays Abby Sutterer, John’s classmate and love interest; and Dennis Haysbert and Sam Trammell, who play doctors Garrett and Sutterer – the two doctors most responsible for John’s care – respectively.
But make no mistake, it is Metz who elevates this film from what could have been a clichéd movie-of-the-week to something special and powerful. It is a remarkable performance and one that makes the film something special – and that should be remembered come awards season.
This is the type of role Melissa McCarthy wishes she could get.
Because in the end, a film with the director/actors that gave the world B’Elanna Torres, Luke Cage and the original Venom, nothing is more powerful than a woman’s belief in God and love for her son.
Grade: A
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