The Unbreakable Boy

Grade: C

The Unbreakable Boy is based on a true story, as we find out via “epilogue captions” at the end. I wasn’t aware; I assumed it was fictional. I can accept that some version of it really happened. The movie we get from it, however, exists in a world where a sixth grade boy, in the midst of a schoolyard fight, says to his opponent “You’re a bully. You’re a cliche.” You remember school. Did any given classmate’s return after a leave of absence spark a big public “welcome back” fanfare? That happens here, as our title character gets such an announcement/ovation at an assembly.

Said title character is 13-year-old Austin LeRette. He has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). When he gets hurt, it could be very bad news. He’s also autistic. Though I’m sure he can be a bit much to his parents and peers who don’t understand him, he’s a beautiful, exuberant, delightful soul who is unwavering kind to everyone, and finds happiness in the simplest of places. All he needs to do is have a strawberry milkshake he really enjoys to make him proclaim “this is the best day of my life.”

The movie suffers whenever the focus veers away from Austin, and becomes more about other characters. For example, the voice-over narration becomes an open mic. Austin guides us through most of the movie, until all of a sudden, we get some from the father. I wondered if we’d soon be hearing from the pet lizard. Austin walks us through how his parents, Scott and Teresa, had their meet cute, which led to a few dates, which led to Austin’s arrival 9 months later.

If they were going to shift focus to other people, I wouldn’t have minded more exploration of Logan, the younger brother. He doesn’t suffer the same maladies as Austin, and serves as a guide/“big brother” for him. Unfortunately, art mirrors life, as Logan is overshadowed in both the film and at home. Jacob Laval is thoroughly convincing and committed as Austin. Zachary Levi might be a fine presence, but really isn’t done any favors here, as his inclusion brings about the majority of the cheesiness. Meghann Fahy as Teresa has the sweet, ethereal face of a Steven Spielberg romantic lead. It’s all just too heavy-handed to be productive.

By the time we got to the resolution after the climax, I just wanted it to end smoothly without any more syrupy melodrama. Any potential for sincerity is nipped in the bud by cloying soapiness. It ends with an acoustic guitar led trio, with some beautifully spot on three-part harmony. For a split second, I thought “yet another number,” until I remembered this wasn’t a musical. It’s easy to forget, as the score buts in every which way it can, telling us how to feel. It’s, dare I say, bullying in the way it forcefully tries to manipulate our emotions and jerk easy tears. It’s a bully. It’s a cliche.

Grade: C