There are not that many Christian films that I can say I truly enjoy. There are a few like 2010’s The Encounter, which had wrestler Steve “Sting” Borden, and 2017’s The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (although it did have wrestler Shawn Michaels in it) which gave a humorous aspect to the way Christians and churches act. Although 2023 ‘s Jesus Revolution had its moments and was a good watch, they didn’t tell the whole story of what happened in real life with the characters at the end of the credits. There is a stigma with these films which at times is rightfully so; they have either low-budget directing, bad actors, or the story is cheesy with the characters never being upset or questioning when bad things happen to them.
When I heard that a movie was being done on the lives of Christian singer Rebecca St. James which was produced by her brother (who is in the group For King And Country), I was interested. It’s not a secret for those who read my page here that I was a major fan of Rebecca St. James (along with Al Denson) in the late ’90s and into the 2000s, not only with her music but her books and the acting spots she also did. Although her audience was targeted at female teens, I still had all of her CDs and got to see her twice in concert (once getting to meet her and talk for a while about her book that was about to come out). I have yet to read the book written by Helen Smallbone about her life, so if there are some things mentioned in the review here that are covered in the book, that is why.
Unsung Hero looks at the Smallbone family who has to leave Australia for the United States after father David (played by Joel Smallbone), a concert promoter, loses money when he books Amy Grant for a show when the economy tanks in the country. They uproot their family to Nashville to continue in the music business with wife Helen (Daisy Betts) telling David he has two years to get things back on track with the family or they will move back to their homeland. With six children and one on the way, the family’s journey not just in getting back into the music business for David, but Helen’s strength in times of adversity is the driving force of the film. Betts is likable and respected as Helen, while at times Joel comes off as a non-likable character full of pride and ego. Rebecca is played by Kirrilee Berger (from “The Handmaid’s Tale”), who was a good casting who looks like young Rebecca did in real life. The real Rebecca has a small part playing the flight attendant and the other brother of the singing group Luke, plays Michael Sweet of Stryper (the other family members have parts too).
Fans of 1990s CCM music will enjoy the characters and mentions of some of the acts at the time that were played at churches during the time (especially since rock music was still considered taboo for many churches). There is Stryper at the beginning as mentioned earlier, and an actor playing Carman, who even Christians my age at the time made jokes about, and there are some quirky lines that are humorous in the scenes with him. Also, Jonathan Jackson plays an unlikable Eddie DeGarmo, but it is one of the things that makes the movie good; the fact that although there is a Christian theme to it, the Christian Music business is still a business first. For someone familiar with several music acts of the time, it was still about making a profit, not just being a ministry as well as several acts being just on a “Christian” label because it was the only label offered to them; some Christian acts still acted like divas and rock-stars although they were playing churches and Christian festivals. This is also proven towards the end of the film in a scene of humor when Rebecca is told to change her stage name to St. James. Candace Cameron Bure plays a kind southern wife in Kay Albright who befriends the family in Nashville.
Another separation of the film from other Christian-based ones is that the movie captures the time, using popular “secular” songs from acts like Jesus Jones and Seal during the 1991 timeline. However, a few timeline problems get overlooked. One is a scene where the family becomes shocked that teen Rebecca can sing while doing odd jobs like cleaning houses and at a Christmas party where the interviews and such from the days I was following Rebecca, she had a CD out in Australia before the family moved to the U.S. called Refresh My Heart in 1991. Maybe this was for Hollywood emotion missing this part to keep the audience interested (many may not be that nitpicky with some of the facts- it does happen a lot in filmmaking). Towards the end, several times there is mention of Rebecca’s “first CD” when he career gets going, yet the movie people keep showing the cover of her God release, which was her second in the U.S. (if you want to count the other CD from Australia, her third); she had a self-titled release (which is one of my favorite by her from 1994). Again, it may not seem like a big deal, but if the family was so heavily involved in the writing and production of the film, it is a little hiccup with the die-hard fans of Rebecca.
Finally, the film isn’t overtly Christian whereas like other films they talk about God and Jesus in every sentence of every part of the film. The family prays and the father is a concert promoter. The story is focused on the family and their survival (especially the mother), which Non-Christian watchers can enjoy a family-friendly film that looks at adversity and following dreams.
Unsung Hero is an inspiring movie that celebrates the struggles and barriers many have in following dreams, recovering from setbacks, and the strength of family and community pulling together. This is one of the Christian-based movies that I liked that doesn’t come off as cheesy or unrealistic and will have many viewings for me.
Follow Lance on his social media pages @lovelylancel . His novella The Cassette is available at Amazon.
lancewrites: Reviews By Lance Lumley 