Review by Cole Groth Unsung Hero is your standard religious drama. If you're aware of the Christian music scene, you've undoubtedly listened to the work of the Christian pop band for KING & COUNTRY. The band, led by Australians Joel and Luke Smallbone, has won four Grammys since 2015 and has solidified themselves as one of the biggest Christian bands of our time. Now, the band's lead singer, Joel Smallbone, is ready to tell his life story as the director and lead actor in this basic, overdramatic biopic of his family and upbringing. With too much focus on religion and not enough good character moments, this falls flat across the board. Taking place in the early 1990s, Unsung Hero tells the story of David and Helen Smallbone, two hard-working Australian immigrants moving to Tennessee with their six children. The move to America isn't as bright as it seems, with the two facing many trials and tribulations on their journey to raise one of the most successful modern Christian artists. It's a narratively satisfying story that doesn't offer much of a unique perspective — the Smallbones face many challenges along the way but ultimately get through it thanks to their Christian faith. At the beginning of the film, Joel and Luke explain the thesis of the film's existence as a love letter to their parents and God. There's something very endearing about the fact that this was made less as an explanation of why the Smallbones are so successful but as a testament to their parents. David, the patriarch, is played by Joel himself and is shown to be an endlessly hard-working man alongside Helen, who tirelessly stretches every dollar in an attempt to feed her family. Even after working dozens of odd jobs to make ends meet, the Smallbones constantly find themselves with nothing left to their name. It feels a little unbelievable sometimes because even after receiving so much aid from others and getting so much work, the family is still totally broke. So, we're left with two conclusions: Joel is overplaying how much his family struggled or how hard his parents worked. Either one cuts into the credibility of the film. The thing about Unsung Hero is that because the successful children tell the story, there aren't any flawed characters here. Joel and Helen are unflappable in their efforts to raise their children right and never do anything wrong. I don't get the impression that the story is entirely honest, and even if the Smallbones were such a flawless family, it's just not particularly interesting to watch. Every problem is one entirely because of the doing of others and gets solved through the family's resilience, Jesus, or the generosity of the kind Christians who surround them.
From a production standpoint, this is an entirely competent film. It's a tad long at almost two hours, but the editing is at least interesting enough to be a little captivating. The cinematography can be interesting at times, and the acting is good. Joel Smallbone, Daisy Betts, Kirrilee Berger, and Jonathan Jackson are a few of the actors in a very large cast that delivers a good performance, but Smallbone and Betts are clear standouts as the leads. As a film about for KING & COUNTRY, you'd probably expect more music to be made by the brothers of the band. Instead, all of the bland music featured in the film is from the daughter, Rebecca, instead. Those wanting to see how the band came to be might be disappointed by the lack of the brothers behind it. Unsung Hero falls into the pitfalls of almost all Christian films, having a contrived conflict entirely solved by faith in Christianity. The Smallbones face one true flaw in their parenting: they're too caring. Even when David gets angry at his children, it's clear that he has the best intentions when talking about what he's talking about. Even after the big argument in the film, the next scene undoes any potential conflict viewers might have about the characters. Fans of Christian filmmaking will probably not find much wrong with this, but is it too much to ask these types of movies to be less overbearing? Everybody but the Christians in this film are cruel to the Smallbones, making this feel like an ultimately shallow film. Unsung Hero releases in theaters starting April 26 Rating: 1.5/5
4 Comments
JR
4/25/2024 10:34:25 pm
How can this be taken seriously when you open with a band winning 4 Oscar’s… terrible journalism,
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Jean
4/28/2024 08:15:19 pm
What a joke rating. I’m sick of people rating a film low just because it’s Christian or mentions God or prayer. This movie might not be perfect but it deserves WAY more than 1.5. I normally wouldn’t even consider a movie with that rating and I found this movie inspiring, heartwarming and an amazing example of family sticking together through hardships. It’s a great movie for all ages. The whole family can enjoy it and take away a good example of working through tough times and not giving up on each other. That alone makes it worthwhile. Your review is so inaccurate… you say “flawless family” but the dad was prideful, left the family nearly penniless and stuffed depression. You state everything is solved by faith/Christians… your lack of faith or knowledge of the Christian community speaks loudly. Christians aren’t perfect but they often do come together to help those in need, more than non-believers realize. I’ve been bailed out by people in my church and I’ve served and helped others in need many times, yes even financially and by donating a car as well. Miracles are all around you but you don’t recognize them and pass them off as luck or coincidence. And your last comment about only Christians being nice to them (as if they vilified non-Christians) is not accurate…the lady in the hospital billing department gave them a huge break on the hospital bill. This is a very misleading review…Get your story straight!
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Julie Hedglin
9/10/2024 09:51:14 am
I have not seen the movie yet, would like to though. Looking forward to the day.
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Foof Fuff
1/18/2025 10:40:45 am
Well, Rebecca St James was a big female artist in the 90's for Christian music, and even helped that whole waiting to marry before having sex movement that millions of teenagers joined in the 90's, so this story is more of how Rebecca brought the family out of poverty with her career, which her brothers then latched on to later.
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