The Unbreakable Boy Parent Guide

When Scott LeRette (Zachary Levi) learns that Teresa (Meghann Fahy) is pregnant after their third date, he accepts his responsibility and pledges to be a good father. The two move in together and await the birth of their child. During that time, Scott learns that Teresa’s striking blue eyes are a manifestation of a genetic disorder, osteogenesis imperfecta (a.k.a. brittle bone disease), which causes her bones to break easily – a disorder that, it turns out, gets passed down to their son.

Broken bones are not young Austin’s only problems. At age five, he’s diagnosed with autism, and by the time he hits his teens, Austin’s (Jacob Laval) many challenges are weighing on the whole family – Scott, Teresa, and their younger son, Logan (Gavin Warren). Despite his best efforts to be a good father and husband, Scott finally confesses, “I feel like I’m failing every day. The harder I try, the worse I do.” Scott tries to find solace in a bottle, with predictable results. When he finally hits rock bottom, he must make some difficult choices about who he’s going to be and how he wants to live his life. And inspiration comes from an unexpected place.

Let me be honest - The Unbreakable Boy ripped my heart out with its unflinching depiction of the pain that can come with parenting. After the births of both of my children, I found myself sobbing on the bathroom floor, wondering why on earth I had chosen to have a baby when I was clearly incapable of looking after one. That feeling recurred (without the postpartum sobbing) frequently through the years whenever I felt overwhelmed by parenting problems I couldn’t solve. As I watched Zachary Levi’s sincere and emotionally moving performance, I could feel the same pain and discouragement claw at Scott’s heart.

Fortunately, despair isn’t the point of this film. Despite all the grief endured by everyone in the LeRette family, The Unbreakable Boy is a profoundly joyous, hopeful film. It delivers powerful messages about love, loyalty, family ties, the power of committed parents, and our need for community. The script is on target with its examination of the benefits of diversity: yes, Austin is different, and yes, those differences are challenging. But Austin’s quirks make him a valuable member of his community; his unique perspective allows him to see things that others overlook or to shine a light in dark places.

I highly recommend The Unbreakable Boy for anyone who wants a movie that celebrates kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and the differences that can bring us together. It’s a reminder that we’re all broken and we all need to heal. With minimal negative content (aside from Scott’s frequent drinking), this is a movie that’s suitable for teens and tweens and will probably do them some good. In fact, it put some sunshine in my day, and I’m sure it will do the same for most viewers.