‘The Unbreakable Boy’ Is Sweet, But Not Without Some Salt

In many ways, The Unbreakable Boy, in theaters now, is another in a string of Kingdom Story Company’s fact-based, inspirational, Christian films. But there are portions of it that touch on darker aspects of life.

What’s The Unbreakable Boy About?

Written and directed by Jon Gunn, and based on the book The Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love, by Scott LaRette and Susy Flory, it centers on Austin (Jacob Laval, in a great performance), a boy born with both osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), or brittle bone disease (meaning his bones break easily), and autism.

It’s also the story of his parents, dad Scott (Zachary Levi) and mom Teresa (Meghann Fahy), who has a less severe form of the same bone disease. They have a meet-cute, but find themselves pregnant long before there’s an established relationship. But, they take on the challenge and get married.

This is not an ideal start, and it’s not an ideal marriage — and Austin’s issues don’t make it any better. Also, a lot of the injuries in his early childhood seem to happen when his father is in charge of him.

Catholic actress Patricia Heaton also appears as Scott’s mother Marcia.

The film was made during the pandemic and was originally set to come out four years ago, but was delayed for various reasons (more about that later).

The Ups and Downs of Having a Special-Needs Child

Austin’s bright, relentlessly positive and extremely talkative — but hyperactive to the point of exasperation and frustration for everyone around him. There’s also an incidence where a medication problem results in a violent outburst, requiring hospitalization.

Also, Austin has a younger brother, whose needs are often overshadowed by those of his sibling, an aspect of family dynamics too often overlooked.

The film doesn’t downplay the strains that having a special-needs childhood puts on a marriage and on other children.

Teresa is portrayed as supportive and long-suffering, but Scott has real issues. He not only has an imaginary friend (Drew Powell) that he talks to (odd for a grown man but played mostly for humor or pathos), but his career wobbles, and he starts drinking to excess.

But, with the help of a pastor (Peter Facinelli, who’s also a producer), a 12-step program, Austin’s undying enthusiasm, and a good dose of God, Scott eventually pulls himself together.

It’s a Kingdom Story Company Film …

As the faith-based division of studio Lionsgate, Kingdom’s films are starting to have a sameness about them, in tone and approach — but it’s probably what the studio’s core Evangelical audience demands. To me, it still feels superficial, more like a TV movie than a feature film.

And, of course, turning to God always solves the problems in the end, but one supposes that’s the point of these films. I’m not saying that’s not true in real life, but there are ways to do it that feel less facile.

Frankly, I prefer the grittiness of Catholic actor Mark Wahlberg’s Father Stu, a far more Catholic (both in subject matter and approach) way of telling a redemption tale — but The Unbreakable Boy takes some steps in a less-formulaic direction.

The best Kingdom film I’ve seen is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by Dallas Jenkins, creator/writer/director of The Chosen, but that was not based on real life, but on a fiction book from the early ’70s.

Still, The Unbreakable Boy is well-made and moving and will resonate with those who know and love children — and adults — with special needs.

Talking to the Stars and Others From The Unbreakable Boy

I had a chance to talk to Levi, Laval, LaRette, Facinelli and Kingdom producer Kevin Downes. The full video (a bit over 12 mins.) is below.

Since the film was long delayed, Laval points out that he’s grown from 4’8″ to 5’10”.

Here are a few excerpts:

Levi on the more difficult aspects of the film:

What makes this film special is that it’s not sugarcoating anything. You know, it’s beautiful and it’s uplifting, and I think that people will walk away from this movie feeling that, feeling that beauty and feeling that love that, you know, kind of really translates through it.

But it comes at the cost of or going through the journey with the family that goes into lots of very difficult situations, difficult situations in how Scott and Teresa are both self-medicating their way through it, trying to, you know, figure out their own inner demons and inner turmoil, their conflict within their own partnership.

But also what it means to go through the struggles and the difficulties of having a child that is on the spectrum. And also their other son, you know, who really kind of gets lost in the shuffle oftentimes. You know, if you have a sibling that is special needs, they get most of the attention oftentimes, and you can kind of get lost in that.

And none of that is lost in the movie, it’s all very well, I think, portrayed, but it also shows the beauty that can come through all of that when a family comes together as they navigate what all of that is.

Laval on seeing himself, four years ago:

Well, for me it can be very embarrassing to look at that, considering I was like a whole foot shorter. However, I really do think I put my best effort into my performance, and I’m really excited for everyone to see it.

Downes on the decision to hold the film, even after the pandemic ended:

Jon Gunn did such a great job in adapting, directing, the performances are off the charts, from top to bottom. I don’t just say that ’cause I’m a producer, but it’s really, really special, all the actors, what they deliver. And so we wanted to hold it for the right time, and that really is the honest answer.

And Lionsgate supported that, right? So to get a studio to say, “Yeah, you guys are right. Let’s hold this just for the right time.” And so strategically, we wanted to wait until after the country was no longer focused necessarily on politics and they were focused on humanity and each other.

And boy, does, first of all the West Coast and Los Angeles, need a film about bravery and coming together as a community and overcoming insurmountable obstacles. Our country also, I think, could use a little bit of a dose of encouragement.