MANY PEOPLE TEND TO LIONIZE THEIR PARENTS WHEN THEY ARE KIDS, experience some kind of separation as adolescents and young adults and then find their way back to admiration as they start families of their own.
Joel Smallbone, as the writer, director and star of “Unsung Hero, ” has a unique spin on that, not only taking the story of his parents and putting it on the big screen but also playing his own father in the film.
When David Smallbone (Joel Smallbone) takes on too much debt in order to be a promoter for Amy Grant, he ends up losing everything, forcing his family of eight (with one on the way), to move to America. When he arrives, the job that he thought he had lined up falls through, leaving him struggling to figure out how to pay bills and care for his loved ones.
As he struggles to find work, his wife Helen (Daisy Betts) rallies their children and their neighbors Jed (Lucas Black) and Kay Albright (Candace Cameron Bure) to find ways to help their family through this difficult time. Through this, David and Helen begin to see the talent in their daughter Rebecca (Kirrilee Berger) and look for ways to nurture that.
The story of the Smallbone family is fascinating in that it has produced two incredibly successful musical acts in the Christian music world. Rebecca went on to be Rebecca St. James, and Luke and Joel went on to form the band For King + Country.
But this film doesn’t follow those stories. Instead, it looks at the ways families can weather difficult situations and how a community can come together to care for one another in seemingly miraculous ways.
The performances are all quite beautiful. The look at David is not always flattering, but Joel doesn’t shy away from sometimes portraying his father in a negative light. Betts gives a thoughtful look at a woman trying to help buoy her family, sometimes in ways that frustrate her husband.
This is a relatively straightforward biopic, but it hits all of the emotional beats well. My primary complaint is that early in the film, there is an interaction between Helen and one of the children. She says that she has always wanted a big family, and the child says that she’s lucky because Helen has everything she wants.
The camera then cuts to her in a way that suggests perhaps there is more that she wants than to be a wife and mother, but that thread is never followed up on.
Despite this slight misstep, “Unsung Hero” is a lovely film. It goes to great lengths to show how familial love can help a person survive hard times. And it is a great reminder that asking for help and offering help to those in need is not just a good thing but can sometimes be a much-needed miracle.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
