Fireproof (2008)

Sadly Over-hyped

One of my all time favorites.

A lot of fun.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Fireproof is about a fireman named Caleb who is involved in a failing marriage and his wife Catherine,a Public Relations officer in a hospital,is already headed towards a divorce considering she is headed towards a new relationship with his good looking doctor and co-worker,Gavin.This Christian film starring Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea by director Alex Kendrick tells a story of how a marriage headed towards a divorce is about to be saved with the help of God as Caleb tries to give the marriage another try with the use of the Bible- based experiment called "Love Dare".This happens to be a 40-day challenge wherein Caleb tries to do things to make his make his wife renew his affections towards him.Will the marriage work one more time when it seems that Caleb's wife seems uninterested at all? How much will Caleb persevere in his effort?Well,the questions will obviously be answered in a positive note knowing that God is involved being a Christian movie.Nevertheless,it still managed to provide lots inspiration especially for young couples who are experiencing the same condition that Caleb and Catherine are facing in real life.Caleb's determination to save the marriage will provide a good example especially for young men out there.Also,having God on your side will also make the viewer realize how much support one receives from him.

It's a nice Christian movie that tells its story without being overly or hyperbolically depended on notion of supernatural miracles, but by having to go through the process. One thing is quite bad for me is that the movie takes too much duration to up to about two hours. But I think the movie gets the length it takes to a good use by building on the characters well enough, even to the main supporting characters. Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea did quite an okay job. They give out expressions nicely though the body language doesn't really compensate much to the scenes' mood. I like how Ken Bevell did just enough to balance to perspectives for the story with his role.

Fireproof is a perfect example of why American Christians go in droves to see modern Christian movies. Why they prepare Bible study books based on the film. Why modern Christian films get so much hype at church. It is a triumph in modern Christian filmmaking...which is unfortunately not saying much. Like almost all Christian films, it is well intentioned. As a Christian myself, I see good possibilities in exploring cinema as a medium for evangelism and correcting societal evils. But this film will only preach to the choir. It is well shot by modern Christian standards. There is a certain levity to the film which makes for some amusing comedic moments (the hot sauce scene). The "Love Dare" plot device is an interesting vehicle for encouraging selfless love to our spouses. But the focus here is clearly on the message, and not the medium. See Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson if you want to see a film which gets both message and medium right.It is to be expected that churches will not have the budgets to finance professional actors. It is to be expected that churches will not have the budgets to produce a slick film (not compared to Hollywood standards, at least). But the church should be wise enough to concentrate on good scriptwriting. The film is a collection of modern evangelical church platitudes. While true that believers have the potential to have better marriages and deeper love than non-believers because of the power of God, the working out of it is complex. Near divorce situations require sound remedies that take Biblical truths and apply them to each specific couple's problem. What we get in this film are speeches by the characters that are so generic that they could apply to anybody. While that may give the viewer an inclusive feeling, it also leaves him/her without a real feeling of how the solution can be applied to them. The film is full of modern day church platitudes that are like "sound-bite" Christianity. They take the depth of Scripture and run ram-shod over it with a band-aid patching.I do not recommend this film for non-Christians unless they are really wanting to become Christians. What this film IS good for is preventative maintenance or at least helping when the marital decay is in its formative stages. This is a feel-good, sit back and relax with a cup of coffee kind of movie to enjoy with a Christian men's group, Christian women's group, Christian couple's night, or with your Christian spouse. And if it does add strength to your marriage, then, Amen! May the Lord continue to bless you!

One must give a solid amount of credit to the filmmaking duo of Alex and Stephen Kendrick whom, upon reading reports saying that films and cinemas had become more effective and inspirational than the likes of churches, went on to expand their megachurch Sherwood Baptist Church into its own production company, calling it Sherwood Pictures. The production company would then pride itself off of making wholesome, Christian entertainment, a sector that Hollywood seems to ignore and shortchange. The Kendrick brothers' films have been quite lucrative, with often modest theatrical releases churning record profits, cementing the fact that there is a market for wholesome family entertainment.Arguably their most known and renowned film is Fireproof, which has undoubtedly gone on to inspire many different people and lead struggling couples down a more righteous path in order to avoid an ugly divorce. The film seems to have had quite the ability to initiate a strong reception among the faith-based sector of the public as well as communities. The film has the power to ignite something of a gathering amongst believers and those of a strict faith and, for that, I respect it.That doesn't mean I like the end result; Fireproof may have some serious insights about how to save a marriage, the struggles that can ensue, and the frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty that can plague a looming divorce, but the film can't avoid the typical pitfalls of Christian cinema. Such pitfalls are lacking any conception as to how people who do not live a faith-based life think and act, emotional manipulation, incredibly mawkish and hamfisted themes, and a disturbingly basic storyline for an issues as complex as a crumbling marriage and divorce.The film centers around the unhappily married couple Caleb and Catherine Holt (played by outspoken Christian and evangelist filmmaker Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea). Caleb is the captain at a local firehouse, who implores his men to "never leave your partner, especially in a fire." How prophetic, because right now, Caleb and Catherine are in a figurative "fire" in their relationship. Caleb works one twenty-four hour day before having forty-eight off, spending most of his time looking at internet porn (a term the film seems so fearful of using, only emphasizing more unrealistic events) and lying around the house, while Catherine feels unappreciated and constantly at odds with her husband.After the umpteenth argument, only this time, one that turns halfway violent, Catherine states "I want out" to Caleb, who is disgusted and overcome with emotion. Caleb reaches out to his loving parents, where he feels his mother is always against him because she takes the side of Catherine and his father feels that there is still life in their marriage. He loans him a book that saved his own marriage entitled "The Love Dare," a book that involves doing nice, caring things for your significant other for forty days in a row.At first, Caleb does this reluctantly, cutting corners, taking the easy routes, etc, until he realizes that won't cut it. "The Love Dare," like marriage, is a commitment and that if you really want to save your marriage, taking short cuts on the process won't do it. Caleb persists with "The Love Dare" to middling results, often winning little else besides the cold shoulder from his wife, who coldly claims after he prepares a warm, elegant dinner, "I don't love you anymore." Fireproof is annoyingly obvious and basic with how it handles its dialog, themes, and characters. Every emotion is worn on the sleeves of its cast, every obvious line of dialog has to be blatantly stated rather than hinted or quietly implied, and, like with many films of this industry, it can't be a Christian film unless the name "God" or "Jesus" is heard at least once or twice in nearly every scene. It also doesn't help that the film's acting is rather mediocre, and with a film about divorce, fights in relationships, and contention at home, good acting is like the glue that holds these films and their believability together. Fireproof is held together by very weak glue in that department.Give Fireproof credit for effectively launching the careers of the brothers Kendrick, as well as prompting millions of couples to reevaluate their marriage by using "The Love Dare," which was later published by both the brothers. In addition, the Kendrick brothers also make Caleb's process at winning Catherine back a grueling one, one that takes time and pacing to build, which at least mirrors how it is for many in the real world. Yet, the film and the book's Christian slant make it seem that the only way one could have a strong bond with their significant other that will ensure a lifetime of happiness and satisfaction is if God is involved in some way, which is a horribly ignorant thing for a film to suggest. In a way, that's almost more offensive than any misstep Fireproof makes.Starring: Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea. Directed by: Alex Kendrick.