Breakthrough
Twentieth Century Fox | Release Date: April 17, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
7
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The New York TimesBilge EbiriApr 16, 2019
You don’t have to believe in divine intervention to be moved by this story. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonApr 17, 2019
The story is well-told, but what makes it interesting is that each character confronts his or her own crisis — even Tommie, the paramedic who rescued him. It also drives home the point that a seemingly small tragic event can affect an entire community. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshApr 16, 2019
Cinematically, there isn't much of a breakthrough, or breaking of a mold, when it comes to how these stories are told. But what distinguishes the film is the daring depiction of a complex, flawed, fierce and faithful woman. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 19, 2019
Actress turned director (TV’s “House of Cards,” “The Americans”) Roxann Dawson balances the hospital room action with the impact finding the lost boy had on the faithless paramedic. There are beautiful moments that capture the quiet terror of death by drowning. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshApr 16, 2019
It's one of the more authentically moving entries in the genre, powered by a gripping lead performance from "This Is Us" star Chrissy Metz. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberApr 9, 2019
Both Metz and Lucas are solid enough, but their fairly stock characters do not emerge quite as vividly as they might have. On the other hand, Topher Grace is extremely engaging as the hip, rap music-loving pastor who initially rubs Joyce the wrong way but eventually wins her over in a plot development that is not exactly brimming with surprise. Read full review
57
TheWrapYolanda MachadoApr 9, 2019
I am not religious, nor have I ever claimed to be, but I enjoy a good inspirational tale. And I do believe that miracles can occur and that those stories absolutely serve a purpose in mainstream films. But in “Breakthrough,” I found myself being dismissed as a viewer, being directed to put my confidence in a story that was layered in the superficial aspects of faith — to trust without question, and just to believe that prayer conquers all, even as the film provides no foundation as to why I should. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedApr 20, 2019
Although it is based on a true story, Breakthrough is another glib and unconvincing faith-based movie that pushes miracles, spirituality and divine intervention, hoping for box-office gold. A terrific cast is the only thing that saves it from last rites. Read full review
50
Washington PostMark JenkinsApr 16, 2019
The result won’t sway nonbelievers, but is mostly watchable and occasionally even moving. Read full review
42
IndieWireKate ErblandApr 8, 2019
There are bigger questions to ask here, but when it’s easier to roll out some simple images and wrapped-up answers, Breakthrough breaks down, happy to just explain away everything good as a divine act that no one could possibly control. Movies, however, require a bit more than just faith. Read full review
40
The GuardianMike McCahillMay 17, 2019
It is presented with no mystery and scant wonder; instead, we get two hours of flatly professional procedural. Read full review
40
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 9, 2019
What you don’t feel, ever, in this fundamentalist weeper is a sense of drama rising out of feelings that are less than absolute. Read full review
38
RogerEbert.comMark DujsikApr 17, 2019
The appeal of such stories is obvious. Breakthrough, though, is less a story than it is a sermon, aimed directly at the choir and nobody else. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)John SemleyApr 17, 2019
For the already faithful, believing in John’s miraculous recovery demands not a leap of faith, but a small hop. The film tells them absolutely nothing that they don’t already presume themselves to know. So what, then, is its point? Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerApr 15, 2019
Good intentions or not, it’s a little bit chilling, this fantasy world where “thoughts and prayers” really, truly are the best anyone can offer. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisApr 10, 2019
For a movie focusing so intently on personal faith, it doesn’t much trust your independent capacity to find religious, spiritual, or other meaning in what is truly an amazing story. Read full review
25
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiApr 19, 2019
It’s a harrowing tale that deserves a much better movie than this insipid junk. Read full review
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