Fireproof

Anybody who is married should see this movie because we've all had bumps in the road along the way.

Fire department Captain Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron) is valued and respected everywhere he goes, except at home. His wife Catherine (Erin Bethea), overwhelmed by her career and her mother's inability to communicate, doesn't feel loved by him; and Caleb's withdrawal of love, along with her inability to respect him cause them to pursue divorce.

Upon finding out about their troubled marriage, Caleb's dad asks him to hold off proceeding with the divorce to make one last effort to save his marriage, a forty-day experiment called, "The Love Dare." Caleb reluctantly agrees to it, and forgetting it took years to dig the hole that their relationship is in, he is upset when it doesn't work immediately. For reasonable reasons, she doesn't react to his efforts at first.

Will Caleb continue to keep going even though she refuses to believe he'll change? Can his dad's love and guidance keep him believing? Will God save their marriage, and make it healthy again? These are the questions that this film answers.

I just got back from seeing this movie opening night. Of the 300 seats, 100 of them were presold and we were told to get there early. I was excited to hear that so many people were supporting this movie on its opening weekend. It's message will hit close to home with so many people. With the high divorce rate these days, I agree that all people should view this movie. I'm not married myself, but it touched me so much because I saw in it the relationship my parent's have had for years. And while it focuses on the husband changing his ways in order to win back his wife, it also touches on wives changing their ways to win back their husbands. There may be many stereotypes shown in this movie, but that comes with movies trying to touch the world. Without stereotypes, we might not understand it so well.

Overall ratings: Plot - 10, Cinematography - 9, Acting - 6 (due to using only one professional actor, kudos to the church members for holding their own)

Making a movie that tackles real life marriage problems head on is challenging, and not always easy to watch. Horror, violence, spoofs, fantasy, love stories, biographies offer easy escapes. Fireproof exposes the isolation that can occur between 2 people who started out loving each other, but over time disconnect, become self-absorbed and fall into a pattern of hurting each other. The relational pain finds some comic relief, and there is a job-related diversion. But help comes in the form of a 40 day dare to love. While you may not agree with the faith-based approach, there is no doubt that unconditional love is transforming. I was deeply moved... enough to take the dare myself.

I found Fireproof to be entertaining as well in convicting. Most of the acting was realistic and sincere, even if it was not professional. Within a very short time the story had me so involved in the characters lives that any minor flaws were not noticed. As in their previous movies, the Kendricks brothers had me crying, laughing, cheering, and, during the action sequences, on the edge of my seat.

Being a Christian, I was not turned off by the message(s) of faith in Christ that are an inherent part of Sherwood Pictures productions, and I didn't feel like that aspect of the movie was being shoved down my throat. It is presented, laid out before the audience, and is there for you to take it or leave it. If you find occasional conversations about God, Jesus, or spiritual matters offensive, then be warned, you may be offended on occasion. I'm sure there are plenty of movies at your theater that push loose morals, profanity, and obscenity that you can choose if this is not your cup of tea. But if a message of being good, kind, and loving doesn't frighten you, I highly recommend this movie.

At times I saw myself on the screen, as most of us can relate to some level of tension in marriage (or any relationship). The principles behind the message can work in most situations – whether or not you are a Christian. And I believe people of any marital status can learn valuable lessons from this movie and be entertained at the same time.

An interesting side note - I heard in a couple different interviews that Kirk Cameron auditioned for this part like all of the other volunteer actors, AND was a willing volunteer himself - pretty much quieting the skeptics who claim he (and others) were making this movie to line their pockets.

I enjoyed the movie. It hits on many core issues in a marriage, whether you are spiritual or not. Individuals who are not believers will not like it and should stay home if they are not receptive. Just as I do not attend science fiction films because I do not like that genre.

Acting was much better than Facing the Giants. Excellent use of humor. With regard to all-white cast as referred by another summary on this site, I am not sure if that person actually saw the movie given the following facts:

The first word spoken in the movie is by a black person. The wife has two black friends who she she sees quite often. The first person who brings up God to Caleb is his Lt., a black man. There is one other black person at the station who has several lines.

I would hope that summaries be written by people who actually see the movie.