The Unbreakable Boy (2025)

"The Unbreakable Boy" stars Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, Jacob Laval, Drew Powell, and Patricia Heaton.  Released on February 21, 2025, the film has a father overcoming challenges while raising his autistic son.

The film was written and directed by Jon Gunn, who also directed films such as "Mercy Street", "Do You Believe?", "The Case for Christ", and "Ordinary Angels".  It is based on the book by Scott Michael LeRette and Susy Flory. Life can be pretty iffy with all the negativity and cruelty dominating the world recently.  But, when push comes to shove, all it usually takes to overshadow the world's awfulness is an act of kindness and determination when things get too tough.  This has been the case for every scenario, especially in media like films and television, and we can all agree that that will not change anytime soon.  This month has further proved this inspiration with "Paddington in Peru", featuring a well-polite bear spreading positivity worldwide.  Now, we have another cinematic portrayal of hope seeking to give us the warmth and good nature we all deserve amid the modern blockbusters courtesy of Jon Gunn and the Erwin Brothers.  But do all these good intentions make for a worthy cinematic experience or an example of mawkish, sentimental manipulation?  Let's find out.

The movie is based on the true story of the LeRette family.  Austin (Laval) is on the autism spectrum and is also diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, resulting in bones that break easily.  As he navigates life through his school, Austin's father, Scott (Levi), strives to become the best dad he can be in dealing with Austin's condition.  Along with his wife, Teresa (Fahy), and second son, Logan (Gavin Warren), Scott and Austin overcome life's biggest challenges to show the world they're both unbreakable. 

This was another film from the Erwin Brothers that went through release date hell following "White Bird".  It was only three years ago when I first caught word of "The Unbreakable Boy", which seemed to be up my alley due to its concept.  However, its constant last-minute delays made me feel less confident about its final product.  Considering that "White Bird" suffered from this similar issue and only turned out to be…just fine, it's understandable why I should be worried about this film.  Regardless, I was willing to give it a try since it's another movie that deals with autism.  As someone who's also on the autism spectrum, I was pleased to see more of this representation onscreen, even though some of the concepts are less faithful to the disability than others.  But what really matters is whether this cinematic reflection of inspiration would break people's low expectations.  After watching it at an early screening, I found that answer, but it wasn't what I had hoped for.

"The Unbreakable Boy" featured plenty of charming and heartfelt moments that would make many people tear up.  However, it's also a straightforward, middling, and misleading family film that struggled to effectively tug at all the heartstrings.  You might be wondering why I believe this movie is "misleading".  Well, it's because of how the final product was presented compared to its marketing.  While "The Unbreakable Boy" does center on Austin, its actual main focus is his father, Scott, who struggles with his own problems while taking care of his autistic son and maintaining his relationship with Teresa.  One of which is his substance abuse, in which he drinks…a lot.  That's right.  A PG-rated movie that seems to be targeting young kids through its trailers is actually about a father struggling with addiction.  I can already imagine someone saying, "Hey, kids!  Do you want to watch a movie about an alcoholic father?"  

But, on a serious note, it made sense why this movie went down this route.  The plot involving the dad and even Austin's condition was supposed to resemble that life is full of broken stuff.  Some can be broken for bad reasons, such as addiction ruining someone's relationship, but they can easily be mended if you add kindness and hope into the mix.  In this case, Austin's tenderheartedness helps Scott see the world the same way his son sees it to redeem himself from his mistakes.  So, while this thematic material may be a bit much for younger kids, it's also relatable to those who embarked on that similar path or still are.  On the other hand, it's also disappointing that the film didn't focus on Austin as much as Scott, especially with his struggles with autism and sensitive bones.  That would've been an excellent opportunity to inspire people who are also on the spectrum, including me, to brave through life's difficult challenges and embrace who they are regardless of their disabilities.  Instead, it decided to keep things "family-friendly" by focusing on Scott's alcoholism.

It also didn't help that Jon Gunn's screenplay was on cruise control in its formula taken from other films with similar topics, even with its good intentions.  It didn't add much surprising depth to its storytelling, and a couple of moments weren't explored a lot or frustrated me by the characters' actions.  But, as far as everything else goes, Gunn's heart was in the right place regarding his direction.  If you're familiar with Gunn's filmography, he tends to provide a sentimental and charismatic touch in his fact-based stories, especially last year's "Ordinary Angels", which I surprisingly liked.  Whether it works for everyone or not, I appreciate what he's attempting to accomplish in his movies.  While I can at least say the same for "The Unbreakable Boy", Gunn's approach to its sentimentality surprisingly fell short of those intentions.  "Ordinary Angels" had that similar essence, leaving me tearing up because it was earned in a genuine sense.  "The Unbreakable Boy" did leave me smiling, but its emotional core didn't feel earned due to how dry some sentimental moments were.  Fortunately, his ability to inject irresistible charm and goodwill into its tone didn't break as easily as its narrative cliches.

Part of the film's charm is due to its cast, who did a good enough job with their performances, including Zachary Levi, who returns to the world of Erwin Brothers drama as Scott LeRette.  I can still understand that Levi has "problems" behind the scenes, but as an actor, he can still deliver the appeal even if the final product isn't great.  His performance as Scott is no exception, with him manifesting the father's internal struggle through his respectable talent.  Was it an award-worthy performance?  Not really, but I will say that it was a well-deserved improvement over his role as Harold in "Harold and the Purple Crayon".  Meghann Fahy was also decent as Teresa, the wife with brittle bone disease like Austin, and Drew Powell was a serviceable comic relief as Joe, Scott's friend.  I would also credit Jacob Laval for providing plenty of heart and humor in his role of Austin, especially when he's narrating the movie's events.  With how enjoyable Laval was in the film, it made the lack of focus on him a bit more disappointing.

Overall, "The Unbreakable Boy" is a tried-and-true fact-based drama that doesn't break new ground in its genre formula despite some good intentions in its charm and messages.  With Jon Gunn and the Erwin Brothers in charge, the film delivered exactly what people would expect from it regarding its tone, relatable themes, and good old-fashioned moments of inspiration.  However, regarding its storytelling, the movie doesn't offer anything besides those elements to convince those outside its target audience to open their hearts to its flawed sentimentality.  The cast was enjoyable in their roles, including Levi and Laval, and its messages about kindness and life were endearing.  But, its average screenplay, cliches, and Gunn's hit-and-miss direction involving its mildly mawkish emotion make this family-friendly drama more breakable than other movies with similar topics.  It's far from a perfect movie for families and those who adore inspirational dramas, but regarding what's happening in the real world, I can also admit that we could all use the best day of our lives with this one.

C