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.