"Fireproof" Review & Trailer
| Movie: Fireproof * Official Site | In Theaters: Sept. 26, 2008 |
| Runtime: 122 minutes | Directed by: Alex Kendrick |
| MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material and some peril |  Gecko Rating: |
This movie is better suited for church fellowship halls and marriage training sessions than theaters. It’s ok for what it is — a Christian-based film about how to save a marriage if you’re having problems. But on a critical level, the acting is wooden and the messages too in-your-face for most movie-goers. In short, it should have gone straight to DVD.
The story follows Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron), a firefighter whose bravery on the job knows no bounds. He never shirks from running into burning buildings to rescue people, and as captain of the firehouse, his fellow firefighters look up to him.
More after the jump…
But that old firefighter’s adage — never leave your partner behind — doesn’t ring true at home. After seven years of marriage (that cliche 7-year-itch thing), Caleb and his wife, Catherine (Erin Bethea), have grown apart.
She complains that his time at home is spent watching TV and surfing the Internet for porn, rather than helping her run the household. In turn, he feels that she doesn’t hold him in the same high esteem he gets at work. Basically, she couldn’t care less if he saved a kid from dying that day. She just wants her husband to pay attention to her. In short, they’re both selfish and whiney, and she’s already making googly eyes with a doctor at the hospital where she works as a public relations director.
Caleb and Catherine are on the brink of divorce, but then his dad asks him to wait 40 days. He sends him a hand-written book called “The Love Dare,” which outlines daily challenges to restore a failing marriage. Each challenge is tied to a Bible verse, which turns Caleb off at first. But he decides to give it a try and goes about the tasks half-heartedly — things like not saying anything negative to your partner, making her coffee in the morning, cleaning the house, calling to see if she’s ok, and so on.
There’s no denying that this is a great movie for anyone who’s in a marriage — whether it’s failing or not. We can all be reminded of the importance of putting your partner first and incorporating faith into your marriage. But the acting is wooden, the messages dropped like a ton of bricks, and the lines delivered as if they’re being read from a cue card.
Still, if this movie can save a troubled marriage and help to restore faith in someone, then it’s definitely worth checking out.
Trailer:
Images: Fireproof, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2008
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Clips & Movie Trailers, Drama, Film Industry, Film Reviews, Now Playing, Posters & Production Stills, Romance
6 opinions for "Fireproof" Review & Trailer
Tracy Fletcher
Sep 28, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Hmmm. It came in 4th in box office opening weekend. Looks like going straight to DVD would have been a mistake.
Jimmy B
Sep 30, 2008 at 8:11 pm
#4 isn’t bad for “wooden acting”… yeah, the message is a bit “in your face” but I know of a lot of movies and TV shows that are like that. What’s the big deal? I think the movie was great as well as ‘Facing the Giants’ (the first movie by the Kendrick brothers). I say we need more movies like this and not just direct to video either.
Tracy Fletcher
Nov 24, 2008 at 10:07 am
9 weeks in the top 15, $31,505,000 gross for a movie with a %500K budget.
“This movie is better suited for church fellowship halls and marriage training sessions than theaters.”
Without understanding the potentially interested audience, a review is useless other than to trumpet the personal opinion of the reviewer. Not a polished movie, but it stirs the heart rather than shocking the mind.
D H
Nov 25, 2008 at 10:46 am
Just because a movie makes a lot of money doesn’t make it good. The non-Christians I know who happened to see this movie were turned off from the faith because of its poor artistry. It would serve the kingdom more effectively if it were only relegated to churches; at least people would know what they were getting. As Christians we must strive for the very best in art, not a poorly made movie such as Fireproof.
Jane Boursaw
Nov 25, 2008 at 12:46 pm
DH - Totally agree. I have a strong Christian faith, and so I appreciate the message that the movie delivers. But as a movie reviewer, I just didn’t think the overall production was all that great.
Tracy Fletcher
Dec 1, 2008 at 9:59 am
The movie has poor artistry because it was made on a shoestring budget, since the conventional movie industry won’t make Christian movies. Fireproof, which made 32 million on a half million investment was more profitable than Eagle Eye, which made 20 million on an 80 million investment. Perhaps Fireproof has given studios a financial incentive to reexamine their stance, something it certainly would not do if Fireproof was relegated to church basements. Moreover, I do not believe it ever serves the Kingdom to hide in churches. The call is to witness, not to witness with great atristry. Anyone who was “Turned off from the faith” because of a poorly made movie with a great message was never really in danger of finding the faith. Anyway, I never suggested that the movie was well made, just that it didn’t address its potential audience, which turned out week after week, as person to person reviews were obviously better.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: