Cinematic memoir can be a complex creative endeavor. Film is a collaborative medium and memoir requires a certain acknowledgment of the author’s creation. Without that self-reflection, it can slip into murky, confusing territory. This space is where the new film “Unsung Hero,” which is billed as a “For King & Country Film,” exists.
If you’re not yet aware of the Grammy-winning Christian pop duo For King & Country, comprising brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, “Unsung Hero” will introduce you to their folksy family lore, if not their musical successes. The film is a biographical drama about the Smallbone family, a large brood from Australia who immigrated to Nashville in the early 1990s, following father David’s dreams of working as a promoter in the music industry.
Unsung Hero released in the US on April 26 and has opened to a resounding success. This has been reported by ‘The Direct’. It has been released across 2,832 screens in the US and Canada and has earned over $7 million beginning from April 26 to 28. It is estimated that the box office collection will only increase even as the total budget of the movie is $6 million.
Unsung Hero: Here is all we know about storyline, online streaming and cast
A faith-based film, “Unsung Hero,” proved to be a contender against Hollywood movies. The film celebrated reaching the No. 2 spot at the box office on its opening weekend. Based on the true story of the Smallbone family uprooting from their home in Australia, “Unsung Hero” follows the Smallbones as they move to the United States where their children rose to Christian music stardom.
“Family’s not in the way. They are the way,” said Grandpa James in the film.
Joel Smallbone mentioned that people have been known to “shove” faith into Christian movies. But not so with “Unsung Hero.” From the beginning, the family’s authentic faith was their foundation. The film, he said, is about mothers, miracles, community, migration, and a family “coming together in desperate times, not fighting against each other but fighting for each other.”
‘Unsung Hero’ Review: The Family That Prays Together, Plays Together in Uplifting Faith-Based Biopic
The heartrending hook behind “Unsung Hero” isn’t solely discovering how one tight knit family birthed two chart-topping contemporary Christian musical acts, although that is an interesting draw. It’s not necessarily learning how the Aussie expats survived a slew of hardships through togetherness and fortitude. The fascinating angle it adopts is similar to the way Steven Spielberg explored a tumultuous time in his childhood with “The Fablemans,” as Joel Smallbone (who co-wrote and directed with Richard L. Ramsey) also engages with family history, portraying his father grappling with financial and personal crises. The co-directors re-contextualize character-building circumstances, crafting a soul-stirring testament to the power of family and faith in the process.
David Smallbone (Joel Smallbone) is at the top of his game in early 1991.
He’s got a great support system at work as one of Australia’s top Christian artist concert promoters, luring in such performers as the heavy metal hair band Stryper. His home life is also thriving, thanks to the efforts of his dedicated, loving wife Helen (Daisy Betts) and their burgeoning brood: Rebecca (Kirrilee Berger), Daniel (Paul Luke Bonenfant), Ben (Tenz McCall), Joel (Diesel La Torraca), Luke (JJ Pantano) and Josh (Angus K. Caldwell). His hard work has given them life’s luxuries, like fancy cars, a sprawling mansion and private schools for his kids. Yet their mettle is about to be tested.
After David fails to sell out an Amy Grant concert due in part to a devastating nationwide recession, he loses all their savings. His backup plan to bring Eddie DeGarmo (Jonathan Jackson) over from the States also vanishes overnight. With no other career options, and with another baby on the way, he comes up with a risky proposal: move the family to the U.S. in hopes of representing an artist friend of his in Nashville. Their journey is fraught with obstacles, from a stressful customs detention to the psychological toll of David’s struggles as a provider. While the Smallbones suck up their pride to courageously face dire situations, they’re only human and there’s always a breaking point — one they must work together to mend.
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