Breakthrough (2019) Reviews

• I got roped into seeing this; but I was glad I did

  iid-765-6376092019-04-18

  I got dragged to see this by my friend. I don't usually do sad movies. I was prepared for mediocre/cringy acting - and at first it was. But then I got caught up in the story and I forgot the acting and it was a really good story. It's not a movie I would have chosen for myself, but I'm glad I went. I would like to remind the people giving it one star reviews or saying that some of the events or relationships are "predictable" that it's based on a true story and I'm told they stayed true to the basic events. In other words; sometimes life is predictable, but it's what actually happened. Someone on another review site said they found the relationship change between the pastor and the mom obvious and predictable - again, this is apparently how it happened to the actual people those characters are based on. ????‍♀️ If you like a good story and can overlook some not-brilliant secondary actors, it's actually a whole lot more fun than I expected to have at this movie!

• Give It A Chance

  badgalfronci2019-04-18

  Grab the family, tissue, and see this movie! 1 star- really??? Great family movie and based on a true story! This is a faith-based movie. It is what it is. The humor was appropriate, but not the main event. It's about hope, faith, and belief.

• What is wrong with some people?

  pensacolacomputer2019-04-17

  This movie is about faith, family, and God. If this does not interest you, don't go see it, but at the same time don't write a review and pretend you did. Up to this point there are only two reviewers, Who both gave it one star. It's very obvious they didn't even see the movie because they don't believe in God. Why would someone go see a movie if they have no interest in it? Exactly. They didn't. What is wrong with some people? Is their heart that full of hate? Sad.

• Group Prayer Breakthrough

  silvasiembra2019-04-18

  If you are a parent or a guardian of children; you will love this movie. If you are a believer in the power of prayer; you will love this movie. Also, Roxann Dowson, directed the appropriate emotions to make it a major tear jerker. I loved this movie. By the reaction of the audience, I realized that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Make sure to bring plenty of tissue paper.

• I mean, if this is your kind of thing...

  OneWithTheArt722019-04-30

  Alas, another outlandish religious drama based on a true story. Although this one has no connection to Pure Flix, the leading distributor in "wholesome" Christian entertainment (it's hard to consider anything wholesome after Unplanned), it feels enough like one that it can be easily misconstrued as one. Based on Joyce Smith's 2017 non-fiction novel, The Impossible, about her son John's miraculous recovery following slipping through an icy Missouri lake and having no pulse for nearly 45 minutes, Breakthrough is another notch in the low-cost and highly profitable Christian film industry. John (Marcel Ruiz) is the 14-year-old adopted son of the highly religious Joyce (Chrissy Metz) and Brian Smith (Josh Lucas). Joyce had given up her biological child years ago and, during a mission trip to Guatemala, brought John home when he was an infant. There is a glaring hole in their relationship, as Joyce sees him as her little boy and John knows that his biological mother didn't want him. He is a relatively typical teenage boy, with basketball prowess (dropping enough product placement with NBA stars' names, including Steph Curry, who executive produced the film, and LeBron James) and lack of care for his studies. After spending the night with his friends Josh and Reiger, the boys venture out onto a frozen lake, where, after being reprimanded, they fall through the ice. Josh and Reiger manage to find their way back up, but John doesn't. First responders are called; Tommy Shine (Mike Colter) searches for John and, hearing a voice telling him to "go back", successfully pulls the boy from the water. It is discovered that he has no pulse and is rushed to the hospital where he is about to be declared dead when Joyce arrives and, left alone in the room with him, pleads with God to save her son. After a few minutes of this, John suddenly revives with a heartbeat. What follows is at least an hour of Joyce lashing out at anyone who has even a doubt that John will pull through, her battle of wills with contemporary pastor Jason Noble (Topher Grace) and lots and lots of tears. I never watched This Is Us, nor do I plan to, but Metz's performance is simply one in a million portrayals of a grieving mother who won't take no for an answer. Every scene with her caterwauling made the movie near unbearable to sit through. While it does have fine performances from the rest of the cast, Breakthrough is loaded down with pathetic attempts at humor and enough schmaltz to carry an entire soap opera over a couple decades. Not once did I feel any sympathy for anyone on screen. Quite frankly, I'd hoped that someone would keel over and end the movie. That feeling of the film deliberately straining to invoke some kind of tearful reaction physically pained me. I haven't felt this wounded since Holmes & Watson. 0.5/5.