Poster © Lionsgate. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreBiography, Drama & Family
RatedPG
Runtime1 hr 53 mins
ReleasedApril 26, 2024
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorRichard Ramsey, Joel Smallbone
StarringDaisy Betts, Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger
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Unsung Hero (2024)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
| 🎫Get Tickets | ✎Edit History |
| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| Unsung Hero's Details | |
| Genre | Biography, Drama & Family |
| Rated | PG |
| Released | 04/26/2024 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 53 mins |
| Budget | $6M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Unsung Hero's Interests | |
| General | Moving boxes, kitchen tables, church pews, demo tapes, Nashville, faith. |
| Music | Brent McCorkle. Two of those kids grew up to be For King & Country. |
| Movies | I Can Only Imagine (2018). Another true story behind the songs. |
| Television | The Waltons. Big family, small budget, lots of love. |
| Heroes | Helen Smallbone. Kept six kids and one big dream afloat. |
| Unsung Hero's Crew | |
| Director | Richard Ramsey, Joel Smallbone |
| Writers | Richard Ramsey, Joel Smallbone |
| Producers | Josh Walsh, Luke Smallbone, Justin Tolley, Joel Smallbone |
| Cinematography | Johnny Derango |
| Music | Brent McCorkle |
| Edited By | Parker Adams |
| Production | Kingdom Story Company, Candy Rock Entertainment |
| Distributed By | Lionsgate |
Unsung Hero is a family telling its own origin story, and you can tell, for better and worse. Joel Smallbone co-directs and plays his own father, David, whose music business collapses after a concert tour flops, sending him, his wife Helen and their kids from Sydney to Nashville to start over with almost nothing. Helen’s faith keeps the household steady, and eventually, at her urging, David sets aside his doubts and chases a record deal for their daughter Rebecca. Sons Joel and Luke grow up to become For King & Country. It’s warm and sincere, but it plays the hardship soft, and critics called its handling of real-life drama tepid. Audiences didn’t care: they gave it an A+ CinemaScore, and it made $20.34 million domestically on a reported $6 million. A 6.0 because it’s sincere and it never takes a risk. $1,013 says you’re humming a For King & Country chorus before you reach the parking lot.
What works: The family’s warmth and faith feel genuine, and the true story of where a well-known band came from has real charm.
What doesn’t: The hardship is played so gently that the drama never really bites, and the story beats are easy to predict.
Who it’s for: Families looking for a faith-friendly movie night, and For King & Country fans curious about where it all began.
Spoilers
David finally pushes for Rebecca’s record deal, and the film closes on what came next: Rebecca built a career as a Christian recording artist, while Joel and Luke went on to form For King & Country.
It's 1991, and concert promoter David Smallbone (Joel Smallbone) loses everything when a big tour flops in Australia. So he, his wife Helen (Daisy Betts) and their six kids leave Sydney and start over in Nashville with almost nothing. Money is tight and the future is a question mark, but Helen's faith keeps the family moving forward. Meanwhile their eldest, Rebecca (Kirrilee Berger), can really sing, and David has to decide whether to take one more chance on the music business. Richard Ramsey and Joel Smallbone direct. One hundred thirteen minutes, one family that sticks together.
Every family that ever had to start over from scratch. Pull up a chair.
| Daisy Betts | Helen Smallbone |
| Joel Smallbone | David Smallbone |
| Kirrilee Berger | Rebecca Smallbone |
| Jonathan Jackson | Eddie DeGarmo |
| Lucas Black | Jed Albright |
| Hillary Scott | Luanne Meece |
| Candace Cameron Bure | Kay Albright |
| Terry O'Quinn | Grandpa James |
| Diesel Cash La Torraca | Joel Smallbone |
| JJ Pantano | Luke Smallbone |
| Paul Luke Bonenfant | Daniel Smallbone |
| Tenz McCall | Ben Smallbone |
| Angus K. Caldwell | Joshua Smallbone |
| Beau Wirick | Matt |
| Don Most | Pierce |
| Lance E. Nichols | Art Meriweather |
| Rachel Hendrix | Amy Grant |
| Roslyn Gentle | "Nana" Jean Francis |
| Rebecca St. James | a flight attendant |
| Kevin Downes | a suit |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 20 October 2026 DataBot +560 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $21.2M; Domestic box office $20.3M; Opening weekend $7.7M; Profit / loss (est.) +$1.6M; Rotten Tomatoes 61%; CinemaScore A+; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 61% (33 reviews); Metacritic 46 / 100; Rotten Tomatoes audience 99% (1,000+ verified ratings); PostTrak audience 96% positive; CinemaScore A+; IMDb users 7.0 / 10 (6,334 votes); movie.guru score 7.2.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 20 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.