Our TV picks this week include a rebellious historical drama, a fresh voice in comedy, and an ideal teen romance.
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Title: Breakthrough (2019)
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| Credited cast: | |||
| Chrissy Metz | ... | Joyce Smith | |
| Topher Grace | ... | Pastor Jason Noble | |
| Josh Lucas | ... | Brian Smith | |
| Marcel Ruiz | ... | John Smith | |
| Dennis Haysbert | ... | Doctor Garrett | |
| Rebecca Staab | ... | Cindy Reiger | |
| Sam Trammell | ... | Dr. Kent Sutterer | |
| Mike Colter | ... | Tommy Shine | |
| Ali Skovbye | ... | Emma | |
| Lisa Durupt | ... | Paula Noble | |
| Stephanie Czajkowski | ... | Melissa | |
| Victor Zinck Jr. | ... | Joe Morrow | |
| Taylor Mosby | ... | Chayla | |
| Isaac Kragten | ... | Josh | |
| Nikolas Dukic | ... | Reiger | |
When he was 14, Smith drowned in Lake Saint Louis and was dead for nearly an hour. According to reports at the time, CPR was performed 27 minutes to no avail. Then the youth's mother, Joyce Smith, entered the room, praying loudly. Suddenly, there was a pulse, and Smith came around.
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Movies about faith are tricky to make for a general population. In today's world where such a topic is torn into, with the endless debate often leading to different outlooks on such a historical and personal topic. And yet, sometimes that type of movie becomes the big hit such as last year's I can Only Imagine did. Nevertheless, the religious drama movies are ready to hit big this Easter weekend as tonight looks at another real, miracle event for inspiration. Tonight, I get the chance to check out:
Movie: Breakthrough (2019) Director: Roxann Dawson Writer: Grant Nieporte Stars: Chrissy Metz, Topher Grace, Josh Lucas
LIKES: The Message The Emotion The Sound and Video editing The Music
SUMMARY: In a movie like this, the message is perhaps the central core of the movie, and Breakthrough is not afraid to show you the beliefs of the cast involved. Unlike the ice to which the character falls into, the belief in prayer and the power of God is the beautifully emphasized in the various scenes and sequences. The case of faith comes with plenty of emotional moments, monologues and discussions about the various questions that come with the Lord's work and the explanation of miracles. As the audience members in my theater showed, those deep in faith became engrossed into the film, allowing the feelings to wash over them and manifest in shouting at the screen in their praise. The scenes that I think did the most for me, being the robot I am, involved those where sound and editing were blended in the Hollywood magic way. Using those subtle sound effects that soon radiate throughout the theater with close ups of the patient, brought the power of the prayer to life. However, the component I think is the biggest supporting power is the music. Much like the trailer, Breakthrough contains the songs worship that hold an ability of their own to incite the true magic that faith has. Those moments struck a chord in their beauty, and is the selling point of the movie for me.
DISLIKES:
Preachy Cheesy at times A bit Too Forced Selective Audience The Extra Fluff Secondary Character Syndrome
SUMMARY: The challenge of these movies is trying to take a tale and expand it into the populace that make up today's audience. Breakthrough didn't quite meet that challenge when talking with my friend who accompanied me. For one thing, the movie takes a little too much turn down the preachy side, utilizing monologues, very staged/forced dialogue, and Hallmark channel like writing that is all geared towards the message. The various church like sermons hold good meaning, but it's not the most entertaining movie writing that writers have cooked up. As such, this forced sermon will sort of force this movie into a narrow alley for audiences leaving general audience members disappointed. Thus, it's that selective audience that sort of limits the theater visiting component of the film. Now in terms of the other two dislikes for me it starts again with going a little too far with the story. Near the ending 25 minutes extra fluff was added that once more held good ideas, but they were in a manner that felt out of place. Breakthrough's ending just seemed to come a little too late in the movie, potentially suggesting another story arc that could have added more time had they pursued it. They made the right choice of cutting most of it, they just needed to cut the last remnants to keep the consistency. And of course the character utilization is key to making the most of your cast. Breakthrough did a decent job with its primary and secondary characters, at least in terms of big names, but the movie failed to really maximize the other characters that were introduced in the beginning. I understand this isn't the theme of the movie, but then don't waste time doing elaborate introductions to only fizzle out.
The VERDICT:
Breakthrough is timed perfectly for release for Easter and will speak to the intended audience of those with powerful faith. The Lord's words speak true and the miracles this movie represents are indeed an inspiration to see, especially when the powerful editing and music blend together. Yet, unlike some of the other faith-based movies, Breakthrough still finds odds with getting the entertainment value in, the preachiness and forced dialogue being the lighthouse for a narrow set of audience members, thus limiting the theater visit. Throw in some editing and character use choices that aren't quite all the way there and you again get the limitations of this movie. Still, a film worth watching at home or in youth group, Breakthrough's quality is best left at the comfort of your own home rather than the theater.
My scores are:
Biography/Drama: 6.5 Movie Overall: 4.5-5.0