2022 | Not Rated | 1h 28m | Family
Films that feature Christian morals and values have come a long way in recent years, often having a broad enough appeal to make them relatable to non-Christians as well. Actor and filmmaker Eddie McClintock directs and stars in one such faith-based film—a 2022 production (not released until spring 2023) titled “Miracle at Manchester.” It’s based on the true story of Brycen Newman, a high school teen who suffered from a virulent brain cancer, and the strong community that rallied around him in his time of need.
The film begins in 2015—Brycen Newman (Kory Getman) is a student at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego. He’s is a two-sport athlete, who excels in both football and baseball and has everything going for him: a strong supportive family, a network of friends, and a cute girlfriend.
One day in class, Brycen experiences a nosebleed. His friends don’t take it seriously and one of them jokingly says that Brycen brought on a nosebleed to get out of class. But later during a team practice, Brycen’s head starts to ring and he becomes disoriented. This is accompanied by bouts of intense cerebral pain.
Since they often attend at their son’s baseball practice, Brycen’s parents see what’s going on and naturally become concerned. When Brycen blacks out one day and collapses on the field, they take him to Paradise Valley Hospital. But the physician who sees Brycen, Dr. Sam (Christin Jezak), dismisses the teen’s symptoms as being normal since he plays a lot of sports, as well as going his age; he’s through normal growing pains, she says. Although still quite concerned, Brycen’s father Richard (Eddie McClintock) begrudgingly accepts Dr. Sam’s downplaying of Brycen’s symptoms, and she prescribes Tylenol for the youth.
After being released from the hospital, Brycen’s symptoms seems to improve for a while. He’s back to his sports training and hanging out with friends. However, one day while sitting outside with some friends, he suddenly falls backward and is rendered unconscious.
A work colleague of Richard’s suggests that he contact a friend of hers who happens to be a neurosurgeon. Richard can’t believe that his son might be suffering from something so severe that it would require brain surgery. But as Brycen’s condition worsens, neurosurgeon Dr. Getty (Dean Cain), steps into the picture and discovers that Brycen is not only suffering from brain cancer, but it’s a rare kind that is super-aggressive and metastasizes quickly.
Added Pluses
After the initial buzzing sensation of elation from viewing this inspirational film began to subside, I began to analyze it and realized that there are a lot more moving parts to it than initially meets the eye.One of the things I really enjoyed was a concurrent storyline that ran parallel to the Newmans’. Kind-hearted, selfless military veteran Ed Hanson (Daniel Roebuck) happens to be a crack mechanic and volunteers his time to repair the vehicles of fellow veterans from the surrounding community.
Ed’s wife Marilyn (Kathy Patterson), a nurse at Paradise Valley Hospital (where Brycen gets treatment), doesn’t exactly approve of Ed’s volunteering since he recently had a couple of major surgeries. In other words, she fears that Ed may compromise his health since he works so hard to help others.
It was also nice to see how powerful the bond between a father and son can be. While Brycen was laying unconscious on his hospital bed, Richard slept on whatever nearby surface he could. And when dealing with the medical establishment, Richard became a very vocal and tireless advocate for Brycen—always trying to find out if there could be additional ways to improve his son’s condition.
There are many positive messages in this movie that have to do with the virtues of selflessness and loyalty, the importance of faith and family, as well as the potential strength of one’s local community. “Miracle at Manchester” is a very heartfelt movie that is also very relatable to anyone who has experienced a serious illness in their family and therefore an uplifting watch for both Christians and non-Christians alike.
