Unsung Hero movie review & film summary (2024)

(Spoiler she does and goes on to become Grammy winner Rebecca St. James; for KING & COUNTRY has won multiple Grammys, as well.) This is, as the title suggests, a tribute to the person who held the family together when everything was falling apart matriarch Helen Smallbone, played with optimism and authenticity by Daisy Betts. Unsung Hero follows the highs and lows of the Smallbones' efforts to stay afloat in a foreign land, but Helens resiliencyas well as her faithprovides a consistent throughline. The casting of Kirrilee Berger as Rebecca is particularly effective since she so closely resembles Betts, adding believability to their motherdaughter bond. We know these attractive and talented people will be fine even before they set foot in their local church and meet the bighearted neighbors who will rally around them in times of need. Its all very affirming to the Christian audience its geared toward and somewhat predictable from a narrative standpoint. What is surprising, though, is that there are actual moments of raw emotion within the workmanlike direction and episodic script. Things get ugly. Pride takes over. Having dragged his family halfway around the world to an empty rental home, and with job prospects falling through left and right, David feels depressed and resentful. He lashes out at the friendly fellow churchgoer (Lucas Black), whom he feels has been too generous alongside his perky wife, played by Hallmark Channel and Great American Family mainstay Candace Cameron Bure. Helen, in a rare show of anger, even explodes at David at one point. Unsung Hero could have used more of such emotional honesty. But it ultimately must deliver a broad uplift thats palatable for the whole family, so it tends to skim the surface. And aside from the parents and Rebecca, the characterization is woefully lacking; the other kids are all kind of a perky blur. Joel Smallbone has a solid screen presence in what must have been a challenging role, but his choices behind the camera with Ramsey feel mostly pedestrian.