Moving Adventure with Peril and Pitfalls…Hold the Pirates
Since I was in high school and college during the 1990’s, that is the era I followed Christian music the most. While I was never a big Rebecca St. James fan, I certainly knew who she was. And, while I don’t follow Christian music like I once did, I have heard of For King & Country. That’s why I decided to head to the movie theater and see Unsung Hero, a movie about their family story.
When we first meet the Smallbones, they are living in Australia where David (Joel Smallbone) is a Christian music promotor. He and his wife, Helen (Daisy Betts) have six kids, but David has been successful and provided for them well. That is until he fronts the costs for Amy Grant to come down under and tour right before a recession hits the country. It costs the family everything.
A job offer in Nashville gets the family to leave their country behind and move to the US. But the job falls apart, and the family starts to struggle to figure out how to feed themselves and pay their rent. While David struggles with how he is failing his family, the rest begin to see God provide, and Rebecca (Kirrilee Berger), the oldest child, begins to try to pursue a career in music.
Being a movie, I’m sure things were changed for dramatic purposes along the way. But as the movie was going along, I did remember bits and pieces of things from interviews with Rebecca back in the 90’s. There is a lot of truth in the story.
The movie doesn’t back away from showing these people as human. Their flaws are evident – not as an attempt to tear them down. In fact, their reactions to things are all too relatable. I do feel like they showed the father’s flaws the most, but again, never in a way meant to tear him down. I sympathized with him quite a bit. And watching him struggle makes the scenes on the other side that much sweeter.
Meanwhile, Helen really shines. Yes, she has her moments, but for the most part, she is the glue that holds the family and their faith together.
And it is God that ultimately comes through for the family, from the new friends they make to how He leads them. This is a movie of faith, and it is uplifting to see.
All this to say, I was tearing up for much of the film, from the pitfalls the family faced to the joys they experienced. This film really tugs on your heartstrings.
Which is a credit to the great acting. I wasn’t familiar with most of the cast before I went to the theater, but they all made every moment believable, including the young kids. It was fun to see Terry O’Quinn as David’s father, and Candace Cameron Bure as a friend of the family in Nashville.
I do want to call out Joel Smallbone. Yes, he was playing his father in the movie in addition to co-writing and co-directing. I praised the actors, but they were given a great script and well directed. This really is an example of everything coming together for a great movie.
While the movie does show the trails the family went through, it doesn’t wallow in them. There is more hope that sorrow at any given moment, and ultimately, I left the movie uplifted.
If you are looking for a reminder of God’s provision and faithfulness, you need to see Unsung Hero. You’ll want some tissues with you, but the experience is worth it.
(And yes, the title of my review will make sense when you see the film.)
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