I’ll be honest. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the film Fireproof. I’m typically a go against the flow type of a guy, so you see my conundrum. Do I go with the flow of all my Christian Friends who are yelling at me to go see this “Christian Film” or do I go against the world and actually see it. I chose to see it reluctantly and not expecting much. After all, it stars Kirk Cameron. What I found was surprising. It was a well done film that boldly attempts to reach into the heart of marital conflict.Caleb is a firefighter who seems to be a hero to everyone in the world, except his wife. Catherine is lamenting the train wreck her 7 year marriage has become. They both need a miracle. The Story follows their conflict in some detail as they explore such marriage killers as infidelity, selfishness and addictions in the marriage covenant.
Ready to call it quits, Caleb is asked by his father to complete a 40 day “Love dare” if he has any desire to see his marriage succeed. He reluctantly accepts the challenge, but finds much more than he anticipated as he comes to realize that the ‘never leave your partner behind’ motto relates to much more than his job.
Expect to see the obligatory conversion scene, which you come to expect from a film by a mainstream Christian organization. This might be a turn off for some, but for me, it fits in this story. Every major story deals with a character whose life fundamentally changes somehow during the story. This is a standard storytelling formula. In this case, the change just happens to be that he chooses to follow Christ, which in my opinion is the pinnacle of change. So, it works. The film is quite heavy so there are several moments of comic relief, which at times, seems out of place and a bit forced. Nevertheless, some of those moments are very humorous.
This is the 3rd major release from Sherwood Pictures, the previous being ‘Facing the Giants.’ The truth is they are getting better. This is a marked improvement. At times, the acting appears amateurish, but not terrible. This could be said about other films as well. Overall, I recommend this movie. If people need motivation for their relationships, then this movie will help them in that direction. I left the theater with a better idea of how much God loves me and how much I love my wife.
