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''Breakthrough'' is a 2019 American
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by Roxann Dawson in her feature film directorial debut. The film was written by
Grant Nieporte Grant Edward Nieporte is a screenwriter best known for the film ''Seven Pounds''. Nieporte got the idea for the script after having a chat with a man whom he called "the saddest person I ever met in my life". In the behind the scenes vignette found ...
, based on the
Christian book Christian literature is the literature, literary aspect of Christian media, and it constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing. History The Christian genre spans a variety of Mass media, media and art forms that highlight Christian beli ...
'' The Impossible'', an account of true events written by Joyce Smith with Ginger Kolbaba. It stars Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas,
Topher Grace Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978), known professionally as Topher Grace, is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric Forman in the teen sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2005) and Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's s ...
, Mike Colter, Marcel Ruiz, Sam Trammel, and Dennis Haysbert.
Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player and point guard for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Chef Curry", he is widely regarded as the ...
and Samuel Rodriguez are
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
s. The film tells the story of a St. Louis teenager who slipped through an icy lake on January 19, 2015, and was underwater for 15 minutes before resuscitative efforts were started. Although he was rescued, he remains in a coma, and his family must rely on their faith to get through the ordeal. ''Breakthrough'' premiered in St. Louis on March 20, 2019, and was released in the United States on April 17, 2019 by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
, as the studio's first feature film after the
acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. by The Walt Disney Company was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition included the 20th Century Fox film and television studi ...
. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances and inspirational messages, but called the plot predictable. The film garnered a nomination at the
92nd Academy Awards The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00  ...
for Best Original Song.


Plot

14-year-old Guatemalan boy John Smith is being raised in Lake St. Louis, Missouri by his adoptive parents, Brian and Joyce. Though they are loving and supportive, John struggles with feelings of abandonment from his birth parents, and rebels against his parents and teachers. In school, John's class is assigned to give a presentation about their family backgrounds. On his day to present, John admits he did not do the assignment. His basketball coach, who promised him a starting position, warns John that if he gets a failing grade, he will be benched. John later gives a half-hearted presentation, saying that everyone already knows he is adopted, and he does not know much about his true background. Later, John and his friends Josh and Reiger go out onto a frozen lake, ignoring a neighbor's warning. The resident calls the police, and all three boys fall through the ice. Josh and Reiger swim to the surface and are rescued by first responders. Two of the rescuers dive in, but cannot find John. As they are about to give up, one rescuer, Tommy Shine, hears a voice telling him to ''go back''. Thinking it is his chief, he tries again, and lifts John to the surface. With no pulse or breath, John is taken to a hospital, where an emergency team works to save his life. After John still fails to register a pulse, attending physician Dr. Sutterer gives Joyce a chance to say goodbye. A weeping Joyce cradles John in her arms, pleading with the
Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...
to not let him die. A faint pulse then registers. Sutterer recommends transferring John to a better equipped hospital, citing Dr. Garrett as an expert in cases like John's. After John is transferred and placed in a medically-induced coma, Garrett warns that he has little hope for a recovery, and that if the boy were to pull through, he would likely live in a persistent vegetative state. Jason Noble, the family's new liberal pastor with whom Joyce has frequently clashed, visits the hospital and Joyce slowly warms up to him. Like Joyce, he regards John's progress as divine intervention. John shows some signs of consciousness: he can hear Joyce and Noble and respond with squeezes to the hand, and a tear trickles from his eye as a crowd gathers outside the hospital to sing and pray for his recovery. Joyce turns John's possible recovery into an obsession, harassing his healthcare professionals and alienating those around her, including Brian. In a heated moment, Joyce tells Brian that if not for her, John would be dead. After a hurtful rebuttal, Brian storms off. Realizing she cannot control John's outcome, Joyce retreats to the roof of the hospital to pray, asking God for forgiveness and submitting to His will. It begins to snow, which she believes is an answer. She and Brian meet with Garrett, who says that the drugs they have been administering are becoming toxic to John's system and may be doing more harm than good. Joyce, who was adamant about saving John's life at all costs, suggests stopping treatment and bringing him out of the coma, stating that she is ready for whatever fate brings. Garrett agrees. John is revived and regains consciousness, reliving his accident. He hears his mother's voice and opens his eyes, with full cognitive ability. Days later, he is discharged from the hospital, returning home and then back to school. John's return, though welcomed by many, is met with some resentment by others, who question why John's life was spared while their own loved ones died. This weighs on John's mind, he returns to the lake. There he sees Tommy Shine, and thanks him for saving his life. Tommy admits that he did not believe in God until after a series of protracted events since John's accident, and all he did was pull John from the water. John reconciles his survival with a renewed sense of purpose in his life, and rebuilds his relationships with those he had been alienating. After graduating from high school, John pursues a career in ministry.


Cast

* Chrissy Metz as Joyce Smith, a highly devout Christian woman, Brian's wife and John's adoptive mother. * Josh Lucas as Brian Smith, Joyce's husband and John's adoptive father. *
Topher Grace Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978), known professionally as Topher Grace, is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric Forman in the teen sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2005) and Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's s ...
as Pastor Jason Noble, Paula’s husband, the father of their son and daughter and the local pastor who tries to connect with the youth. * Mike Colter as Tommy Shine, a first responder who had a moment with God to save John. * Marcel Ruiz as John Smith, Joyce and Brian's Guatemalan 14-year-old adoptive son who makes a miraculous recovery. * Sam Trammell as Kent Sutterer, Abby’s father. * Dennis Haysbert as Dr. Garrett * Maddy Martin as Abby Sutterer, Kent Sutterer's daughter and John's love interest. * Isaac Kragten as Josh, one of John's friends. * Nikolas Dukic as Reiger, one of John's friends. * Travis Bryant as Jonah, one of John’s friends. *
Taylor Mosby Taylor Christian Mosby is an American actress and musician from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is known for her parts in '' The Last O.G.'', '' Breakthrough,'' and '' Thunder Force''. She has also portrayed a younger Miranda Bailey in ''Grey's Anatomy ...
as Chayla, one of John's friends. * Ali Skovbye as Emma, one of John's friends. * Chuck Shamata as Fire Chief * Nancy Sorel as Mrs. Abbott, the Family History teacher at the Christian middle school John and his friends attend. * Lisa Durupt as Paula Noble, Pastor Jason's wife and mother of his son and daughter. * Rebecca Staab as Cindy Rieger.


Production

Producer DeVon Franklin helped the Smith family find a literary agent and then develop the book in a film after it was published. The movie was filmed in
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
from March to May 2018. Locations for the 31-day shoot included
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, Selkirk, and
Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. In 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Highway (exactly ...
.


Marketing

An official trailer for the film was released on December 5, 2018 and received more than 30 million views within two days, becoming the most-viewed trailer for a religious film within that timespan. Metz performed "I'm Standing With You" from the film's soundtrack at the
54th Academy of Country Music Awards The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 7, 2019. Nominations were announced on February 20, 2019 by Reba McEntire during CBS This Morning, with Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay ...
alongside
Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005, returning as a judge beginning with the twenty-third season. Underwood's f ...
, Lauren Alaina,
Maddie & Tae Maddie & Tae is an American female country music duo composed of Maddie Font (née Marlow) and Taylor "Tae" Kerr (née Dye), both of whom are singers, songwriters, and guitarists. The duo was signed to the revived Dot Records in 2014. Their debu ...
and Mickey Guyton.


Release

''Breakthrough'' was released in the United States by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
on April 17, 2019; it is also the first film from Fox under the ownership of
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
after its acquisition of 21st Century Fox on March 20, 2019. The Easter weekend it was released had the lowest box office receipts since 2005 because studios chose to avoid any major release during that period so as not to compete with Disney's release of '' Avengers: Endgame'' the following weekend. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray by
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Home Entertainment (previously known as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC. and also known as 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment) was a home video distribution arm that distributes films produced by 20th Century Stud ...
which became the label of
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) is the home entertainment distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, a ...
on July 16, 2019.


Reception


Box office

''Breakthrough'' grossed $40.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $9.7 million in other territories (including $5.9 million in
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
), for a worldwide total of $50.4 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside ''
Penguins Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
'', and was projected to gross $13–17 million from 2,300 theaters in its five-day opening weekend. The film made $1.9 million on its first day and $1.5 million on its second. It went on to debut to $11.3 million (a five-day total of $14.6 million), finishing third behind '' The Curse of La Llorona'' and '' Shazam!''. In its second weekend the film fell 39% to $6.8 million, finishing fourth.


Critical response

According to the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, 60% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 65 reviews; the average rating is 5.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Like its lead character, ''Breakthrough'' is fiercely focused on faith – but its less subtle elements are balanced by strong performances and an uplifting story." At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars and a "definite recommend" of 69%.


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{IMDb title, 7083526 2019 films 2019 drama films 20th Century Fox films TSG Entertainment films American drama films Films about evangelicalism Films based on non-fiction books Films set in 2015 American films based on actual events Films set in Missouri Films shot in Manitoba Medical-themed films Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos 2019 directorial debut films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language drama films Inspirational Film of the Year Dove Award winners