MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Fireproof.  Rated PG

Directed by Alex Kendrick. Starring Kirk Cameron, Erin Bethea

Photo © Samuel Goldwyn Films
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

Most pastors that I know have been inundated with some mailings about the Fireproof movie, including promotional banners and direct mail campaigns (courtesy of Outreach Ministries, the folks who also ran big media blitzes for The Passion of the Christ and The Chronicles of Narnia) as well as a 40 Day Challenge using “The Love Dare” book.  I can’t stand such craven marketeering – and those mailings made it into my wastebasket weeks ago.  But let me say this: Fireproof (made by the same writer-director as 2006’s Facing the Giants) is actually a pretty good movie with a lot of important things to say about marriage.  The acting is all over the place and the film runs about 20 minutes longer than it needs to, but if you decide to go with a group to see this movie, you’ll want to make plans to talk about the movie afterwards.  It’s a simple story about Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron, of Growing Pains TV fame) and his wife Catherine, whose marriage is facing serious problems.  They are childless and both active in their careers, spending much of their time apart from one another.  Caleb is a firefighter and is on for 24 hours straight and then off for two days, coming home to an empty house.  When there is conversation about their marriage, it is when Caleb and Catherine are with their separate groups of friends.  The day comes when Catherine tells Caleb that their marriage is over and she wants to file for a divorce.  Is there any hope?  Well, this is a Christian film, so there’s always hope.  Caleb’s father and best friend both come to his aid, and Caleb is given a 40 Day “Love Dare” plan to win back the love of his wife.  Sure, it’s a corny plot device, but the lessons are good ones and there is much to like about the film.  I appreciated the awkwardness in Caleb’s initial gestures towards reconciliation as well as the frequent use of humor to keep things interesting.  There is a good sense of father-son bonding, but I felt that Caleb’s mother was unfortunately written out of the plot.  And, truth be told, since it is primarily Caleb who needs to grow up in this story, Catherine gets the moral high ground.  Even though a case can be made that men are more often clueless about these things, a healthy marriage does require ownership from both partners.  Like so many recent Christian film offerings, the references to Christ are there but they will only make sense to those who are already “in the club”.  This will please Christians but likely keep non-believers away.  Since Fireproof will be competing against the big films of the fall for ticket sales, it will be in and out of theaters quickly.  See it if you can and then plan to get performance rights when the DVD comes out a couple months from now.  I can think of no better program for a Valentine’s Day outreach event.

Pitchfork Rating: Five halos. (A low-budget Christian film that is above average, with much wisdom about the work required to keep a marriage strong.) One pitchfork. (Mild swearing, a subplot involving online pornography that is so tastefully done that it shouldn’t even upset children.)

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