A young boy with both a rare brittle-bone disease and autism. But what makes him truly unique is his joyous, funny, life-affirming world view that transforms and unites everyone around him.
Chuck says:
In 2023, approximately 1 in 36 children in the United States were diagnosed with autism. Five years earlier, only 1 in 44 received the same diagnosis. The divorce rate in families in which there is a child with autism is 30%. And while research continues to determine a cause for this condition, indications are it is genetically passed on.
For all its faults, for the most part, Jon Gunn’s “The Unbreakable Boy” doesn’t sugarcoat these challenges and others that come with raising a child with autism. Based on the book by Scott LeRette and Susy Flory, it recounts the latter’s experiences with his son Austin, who was not only diagnosed with autism, but was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, commonly known as Brittle Bone Disease. As one can imagine, the challenges faced by LeRette and his wife Teresa, were, and continue to be, staggering.
Yet, much like the book, Gunn initially concentrates on the positives. As narrated by the ever-effusive Austin (Jacob Laval), he recounts the many “breaks” he’s had to endure over his lifetime. The broken ribs he suffered during birth were the first of numerous fractures the boy had to deal with, some coming from the simplest of falls. (Watching the film, I couldn’t help but notice how inattentive both parents were to a child with this condition). Yet, he remains an immensely positive boy, eager to attend school and make friends.
However, the road LeRette and Teresa (Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy) travel in order to get to this point is fraught with difficulties. Due to an unplanned pregnancy, they married before really knowing one another. Also problematic is Teresa has Osteogenesis Imperfecta as well, while LeRette’s drinking gets worse and worse as his responsibilities grow.
LeRette emerges as the central character of the film. Essentially an overgrown child, he’s not mature enough for marriage let alone raising a child with special needs. Frequently traveling because of work, he turns a blind eye to his wife’s struggles. Often alone, she struggles to raise Austin, as well as their other son, Logan (Gavin Warren), a job that ultimately becomes too much for her.
The troubles that befall the LeRette’s are almost too numerous to mention, yet Gunn deserves credit for not allowing the film to drift into melodrama. Make no mistake, this is a sentimental movie and at times, it flirts with laying it on too thick. Yet for the most part, it stays true to reality of the troubles they endure, focusing on sincerity rather than schmaltz.
In the end, it is Austin that holds the family together. The kid possesses an undeniable sense of positivity. His unfiltered, always optimistic outlook consistently puts things in perspective, no matter how low they’ve fallen. Laval is very good in the role, fully committed and present even in the most demanding scenes. There’s nothing actorly about his performance, the young actor bringing a realism to the role that assists Gunn in steering clear of a maudlin approach. Levi, Fahy and the others benefit from his work as well, all of them feeding off his energy and enthusiasm.
Going to church, attending 12-step programs and repairing what has been broken all play a part in LaRette’s journey towards accepting that which he cannot change and becoming the man his family needs him to be. That these strategies are introduced in a matter-of-fact manner goes a long way towards the viewer embracing them. I wish the same could be said for Joe (Drew Powell), an imaginary friend LaRette confides in, that never transcends its gimmicky nature.
And while some will dismiss “Boy” as a heavy-handed exercise, there will be others who will embrace its message of perseverance and faith. I suppose your reaction to it all comes down to your willingness to vicariously walk a mile in the LeRettes’ shoes, a journey Gunn honors and stays true to.
3 Stars
