Unsung Hero

➤Rated PG
➤Theaters

THE SONG “UNSUNG HERO” by brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, who make up the Christian band For King & Country, was inspired by the sacrifices their parents made for their large family. The new movie with the same name fleshes out their story and also tells how their older sister became the Christian music star Rebecca St. James.

The story begins in 1990 in Australia where David Smallbone (played in the movie by his son Joel) works as a concert promoter for Christian musicians. Life is good for David and his wife Helen (Daisy Betts) who have six kids and a seventh on the way. Helen keeps the family grounded, but David is an optimist with big dreams that require big risks. Those dreams come crashing down when his ambition outstrips his readiness.

The 40-year-old David decides to uproot Helen and the kids and move to Nashville, hoping to salvage his career in Christian music. Helen isn’t sure about the idea, but she’s willing to follow her husband as he pursues his latest dream.

America might be the land of opportunity, but the opportunities don’t come quickly for the Smallbones. They don’t have any money, and the kids sleep on the floor of their rented house because David and Helen can’t afford to buy furniture.

Unsung Hero certainly doesn’t glamorize the Christian music industry. Business is business, and things get a little cutthroat. David thought his connections in Christian music would help him find work, but too many people let him down or break their promises.

The production values, script, and cinematography of this faith-based movie are workmanlike, but some parts get a little melodramatic. The scene in which Helen announces it’s time to go to the hospital because the baby’s coming follows a laughable cliché. But on the whole, Unsung Hero proves to be a solid Christian film that avoids many of the traps of the faith-based genre.

Too many Christian films follow the same worn-out story arc. Someone has a crisis of faith. He or she gets into trouble. There’s an answer to prayer. And faith gets restored.

Unsung Hero tells a more realistic story. The Smallbones experience struggles, but they never question their faith because they don’t need a miracle to believe. Instead, we see a beautiful story of a family pulling together and trusting God to meet their needs. When the local church steps in to help, we think their problems are over, but this blessing leads to the movie’s real crisis when David struggles to accept generosity from his fellow Christians.

He used to be a successful businessman, and being on the receiving end of charity hurts his pride. He feels like he’s letting his family down because he’s not able to provide for them as a husband and father should. This heart-level conflict has the ring of authenticity to it, and the movie doesn’t take cheap shortcuts on David’s journey to humility.

Of course, the family doesn’t remain in humble dependence on the goodwill of others. David and Helen’s economic challenges provide the movie’s conflict, but much of the plot revolves around their oldest daughter Rebecca’s attempts to land a recording contract.

The movie plays a little fast and loose with Rebecca St. James’ story. It suggests that after the impoverished family moves to America, Rebecca’s parents are surprised to find out she can sing. In reality, David and Helen knew their oldest daughter had musical potential before they made the move to Nashville. At the age of 12, while still in Australia, the real Rebecca had already opened for Christian music superstar Carman and recorded an independent album.

Fans of Rebecca St. James or For King & Country will enjoy seeing the family dynamic that helped shape them, but this movie is rooted in Helen’s stalwart faith in her God and her family.

The filmmakers have definitely fulfilled their goal of paying honor to an unsung hero.