Unsung Hero: A True Family-Friendly Film

On Saturday evenings at the merry Kengor abode, the kiddies, mom, and the old man huddle in the living room with heaps of food and popcorn (and wine for the adults) to hunker down for a movie. I said “merry,”...

The post <i>Unsung Hero</i>: A True Family-Friendly Film appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

On Saturday evenings at the merry Kengor abode, the kiddies, mom, and the old man huddle in the living room with heaps of food and popcorn (and wine for the adults) to hunker down for a movie. I said “merry,” but honestly, the run-up to what ultimately appears on the TV screen can be chaotic, frustrating, challenging, and often disappointing. The big problem is finding a family-friendly movie for the brood of mom, dad, and eight children ages 10 to 27.

Of course, we typically don’t have all eight kids around. Some are grown and out of the house. Usually, we’ll have four or five. Not that that helps narrow the cinematic options. Thanks to modern woke Hollywood and our cesspool culture’s vulgarians, the kids’ eyes and ears can be assaulted with perversity through a mere cursory search for options. “Quick, cover your eyes!” my wife yells out to the kids. (READ MORE: Hard Miles: An Easy Movie to Like)

Thanks, Netflix. Thanks, Amazon. Thanks, Disney. You freaks. But I digress.

What I’m getting at is that it’s agonizingly difficult to find a family-friendly film, especially one made after, oh, 1950.

Well, I’m happy to report that we found one last weekend. It might be one of the best family-friendly movies in years. It’s called Unsung Hero.

A Christian Film of a Different Flavor

Written and directed by Richard Ramsey and Joel Smallbone, the film is about the real-life Smallbone family of Sydney, Australia. After the father loses just about everything financially, the Smallbone crew heads to America, namely, Nashville, in hopes of recovering losses and pursuing the father’s dreams of success as a music promoter, particularly in the world of contemporary Christian music. The father, David, is played by his real-life son, Joel David Smallbone.

The family eventually finds success not through the father’s name but through the oldest daughter, the real-life talented Christian singer Rebecca St. James (played splendidly by Kirrilee Berger), and the younger sons (Luke and Joel David), who later form the excellent Christian band For King & Country. The father, David, struggles terribly throughout the tale, as does his wife, Helen (played by Daisy Betts). Helen is the glue that holds the family together, especially spiritually. The family goes to God to carry them as their source and strength through rich and poor (mostly poor).

Pulled off nicely by a virtually unknown cast, the movie is not maudlin, nor is it filled with the evangelical-speak we’ve unfortunately come to expect from films in this genre. It’s not saturated with the God’s Not Dead simplicity that drives away viewers who don’t spend Sunday mornings at Church services resembling rock concerts. And to be sure, that’s no small achievement given that the musical stars that hail from this real-life family appeal to precisely such audiences. (READ MORE: Yakima Canutt: The Little-Known but Great American Stuntman)

The movie is neither naïve nor saccharine, though we can still expect it to be mocked by the culture’s crude scolds who hate what’s good. There are many dark night-of-the-soul moments for the father, for the mother, and for the oldest daughter, Rebecca. The father carries his cross throughout, as does his accompanying partner and witness, Helen. From the opening scenes, the father’s stress level builds to the point that I expected to see him dead 10 minutes into the film, with mom as a widow thereafter raising the kids herself. But he perseveres. There’s no lack of character development; the writers did it right.

Singing the Unsung Family’s Praises

What becomes clear during this ordeal is that the father needs to understand that he’s going to ultimately find his way not through his own life, even as he nobly pushes himself to provide for his family, but rather through his family. Their mission is his mission. Their walk is his walk. They are his fulfillment. His life will find its deeper meaning when he realizes that his family is his calling in a much fuller way than he ever anticipated.

That realization is beautifully captured about three-quarters into the film when David’s own father, who’s another unsung hero, enlightens his son by saying: “Your family. They’re not in the way. They are the way.”

Those are the grandfather’s final words in the film before his death. Yes, the family isn’t in the way but is the way.

The remainder of the film consummates that message, as Rebecca rises to become the unanticipated vehicle to the family’s musical success — unbeknownst to her dad. Then, the other kids follow, too. Success is truly a family affair. All along, the mother of seven is the hero behind the scenes, though no longer so unsung, thanks to this film’s exposure. The heroic Mrs. Smallbone is not unsung anymore. (READ MORE: Farewell to the Legend: Roger Corman)

And lastly, maybe the best line in the film comes at the very close, before the credits. It comes from Mother Teresa, whose words appear on the screen: “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”

Amen to that. Spend time with that family, love that family, and watch this truly family-friendly film with your family. They are the way.

The post <i>Unsung Hero</i>: A True Family-Friendly Film appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.