I’ll sing this song for you

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, April 26th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a new bio-pic arrives in theaters today that tells the origin story of some beloved names in Christian music.

Here’s arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino to tell us about Unsung Hero.

COLLIN GARBARINO: Maybe you’ve heard the song “Unsung Hero” by brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, who go by For King & Country. The song was inspired by the sacrifices their parents made, and the new movie with the same name fleshes out their story as well as how their older sister became the Christian music star Rebecca St. James.

HELEN: It’s a miracle. It’s like some kind of sign that we’re supposed to be here.

The film begins in 1990 in Australia where David Smallbone, played in the movie by his son Joel, has a successful business working as a concert promoter for Christian musicians. David and his wife Helen, played by Daisy Betts, have six kids, and a seventh on the way. Life is good for David and Helen. He’s an optimist with big dreams that require big risks. Helen is the grounded one.

LUKE: Do you have a dream, Mum?

HELEN: My dream has always been to have a great big family.

David’s dreams come crashing down when his ambition outstrips his readiness. His biggest tour flops in the midst of Australia’s recession, bringing financial ruin to his family.

DAVID: I’m going to lose everything.

ART: Man, I wish I could help you. You signed the contract, brother.

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

DAVID: And it’s Nashville. It’s where the industry is.

HELEN: It’s where one industry is.

DAVID: It’s the only one I know.

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. Things get a little cutthroat and business is business. David thought his connections in Christian music would help him find work in the industry, but too many people let him down or break their promises.

HELEN: I agreed to two years. And come what may, I am not going to be another person that breaks a promise to you.

Unsung Hero is rated PG, and even though the Smallbones go through some tough times, it’s a family friendly movie. Fans of For King & Country or Rebecca St. James will definitely enjoy seeing the family dynamic that helped shape them.

The production values, script, and cinematography won’t win any awards, but they certainly get the job done. Some parts of this faith-based movie are a little melodramatic. And the scene in which Helen announces it’s time to go to the hospital because the baby’s coming follows a tired cliche. But on the whole, Unsung Hero proves to be a pretty 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. They get in trouble. There’s an answer to prayer. And faith gets restored.

HELEN: And we need to pray… everyday… for everything that we need.

Unsung Hero tells a more authentic story. The Smallbone family has plenty of struggles, but they never question their faith. 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 the problems have been solved. But it just leads to the movie’s real crisis.

David struggles with accepting 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 like a husband and father should. This conflict within David’s heart has the ring of authenticity to it, and the movie doesn’t take cheap shortcuts on his journey to humility.

DAVID: I want to do something that matters. This is it. This is my last chance.

Of course, the family doesn’t stay in humble dependence on others. David and Helen’s economic challenges provide the movie’s conflict. But much of the plot revolves around their oldest daughter Rebecca getting her first recording contract.

The movie plays a little fast and loose with Rebecca St James’s story. It’s not until after the family gets to America and is living in poverty that 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 twelve, while still in Australia, the real Rebecca had already opened for Carman and recorded an independent album.

Really though, this movie is all about Helen’s stalwart faith in her God and her family. The filmmakers have definitely fulfilled their goal of paying honor to an unsung hero.

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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