What would Jon Gunn do for an encore?

The filmmaker’s latest work, “The Unbreakable Boy,” arrives in theaters almost a year to the day after his previous directorial effort, the highly emotionally satisfying “Ordinary Angels.”

Both movies were produced by Kingdom Story Company, a Lionsgate partner specializing in Christian-based projects, and both are based on a true story.

Like “Ordinary Angels,” “The Unbreakable Boy” has its share of both heartwarming and tough moments. However, the story inspiring the new tale isn’t quite as compelling, and, unlike “Ordinary Angels,” “The Unbreakable Boy” doesn’t boast an actor as talented as Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank.

That said, “Boy” is largely engaging, thanks largely to Gunn’s touch and solid performances from its cast.

Based on the 2014 book “The Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love,” co-written by Scott LeRette and bestselling author Susy Flory, the movie sees “Shazam!” star Zachary Levi portraying the movie version of LeRette.

When we meet Scott, he has a simple life. He has a good job in the medical supply business and hangs out with his best friend, Joe (Drew Powell). Well, OK, Joe is the imaginary friend Scott’s had since childhood and to whom he talks constantly, but who are we to judge?

One day shopping for clothes with, um, Joe, Scott becomes taken with store employee Teresa (Meghann Fahy) and her incredible blue eyes. They go on three dates, she gets pregnant and, suddenly, Scott’s life is no longer simple.

After their son, Austin, is born — Joe is in the delivery room with Scott for the occasion and passes out during the birth, a moment that you’d expect to come off as too silly but somehow works as orchestrated by Gunn — he is diagnosed with a genetic condition that Teresa has, osteogenesis imperfecta, which causes her bones to break easily and keeps her from activities such as playing sports. (For reference, OI is the condition endured by Samuel L. Jackson’s character in the M. Night Shyamalan films “Unbreakable” and “Glass.”)

Scott’s life is now officially complicated — and made even more so in the coming years when it is determined Austin (played for the majority of the movie by Jacob Laval) is autistic.

Although Austin typically is wildly enthusiastic about so much life has to offer — he talks, a lot, about the many things that excite him — he has his share of difficult moments, both emotionally and physically.

As the years pass and the couple has another son, Logan (Gavin Warren), Scott increasingly turns to alcohol to cope with his challenges, which include ever-increasing medical bills tied to Austin’s myriad bone breaks.

With near certainty, Scott’s drinking will lead to a reality-shifting moment of some kind, as in the film’s opening moments we see him drunk and loading his two sons into a vehicle, Teresa nowhere to be seen. The second part of the character’s journey, which sees him put in the work to be a better man and father, begins after that.

Narrated almost solely by Austin, “The Unbreakable Boy” is a bit too precious in spots. On the other hand, it hits home several times, illustrating what life with an autistic child can be like for a family doing its best given its various circumstances.

And Gunn — who, before directing “Ordinary Angels,” had a hand in scripting Kingdom Story ventures “American Underdog,” the 2021 biopic about former NFL standout quarterback Kurt Warner starring Levi, and “Jesus Revolution” (2023) — knows how to put forth a faith-based message without his work becoming preachy. (Peter Facinelli portrays the pastor of the LeRettes’ church, who, while becoming a positive influence on Scott, is only a small part of the puzzle.)

Penned by Gunn, “The Unbreakable Boy” ultimately is about family, not spirituality. That’s accentuated by Levi and Fahy (“One Life to Live,” “The White Lotus”), who make Scott and Teresa relatable, not perfect, parents and partners. As written, their love for each other is complicated, their life together accelerated by the first pregnancy, a fact the movie doesn’t overlook.

Last but not least, there’s Laval (“The Plot Against America,” “8-Bit Christmas”), who captures his character’s lust for life and is a bundle of almost-nonstop energy, which leads you, the viewer, to worry constantly that Austin’s next fall — and thus the next trip to the hospital — will come at any moment.

His performance is the standout aspect of what can be, despite its strong points, a rather ordinary movie.

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‘THE UNBREAKABLE BOY’

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG (for strong thematic material, alcohol abuse, language and some violence)

Running time: 1:49

How to watch: In theaters Feb 21

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