Rated PG for thematic material and some peril.
Directed by Alex Kendrick (Flywheel and Facing the Giants)
Starring Kirk Cameron
People watch movies for different reasons. Some watch them and enjoy artistic craft and talents of cast and crew, some watch them for the content and story and some watch them to see stuff get blown up. Ignoring that last group for a moment; let me say this: if you are someone who enjoys the art of film making, you will need to give this film an extra measure of grace. However, if you enjoy a good story with a powerful message, you will thoroughly enjoy Fireproof.
Capt. Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron) lives by the old firefighter's adage: “Never leave your partner behind.” Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct, but in the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story. After seven years of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try a 40-day experiment called The Love Dare. Reluctantly he accepts, but is it too late?
I’m a fan of the Kendrick’s and what the folks at Sherwood Baptist Church have accomplished. Like Flywheel and Facing the Giants, Fireproof has a great message that is touching people all over the world. I love hearing and reading testimonies from people whose marriages have been strengthened, healed, and even restored because of God using this movie. We recently received this email:
“I've had heartbreak in my first marriage, suffering with infidelity and abandonment and now the stress of a blended family causes me to want to give up at times. While you may not relate to a difficult, dysfunctional marriage… Fireproof could encourage or help a suffering marriage like it did for me, and it might help many others.”
I think most people can relate. Marriage is difficult and this movie has been a huge source of encouragement and I hope it will continue to be so. The film makers do not shy away from the difficult issues. I loved how they handled online pornography and “emotional affairs.” Those issues are rarely talked or preached about on Sunday mornings and are destroying marriages everyday. I also loved the 40-day Love Dare (for more information visit
thelovedarebook.com). I even bought that book for my wife and me for Christmas.
All that being said, to me, this one felt like a step in the wrong direction. I couldn’t get past the feeling that they were all trying way too hard to make a good movie. The problem is that technically it’s a disaster. The acting is bad and the pace is awkward. Throughout the movie there are these “funny moments” that are forced and completely out of place… and really not that funny at all. There are a few “action” scenes where instead of being concerned for the characters I was completely distracted by the fake crying and screaming.
Fireproof will definitely not be winning a golden statue but it is changing people’s lives and you have to appreciate that. This one is worth seeing, but as a “Rental.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There are some themes that might be too mature for some kids (online pornography and “emotional affairs”) but as expected, they are clearly frowned upon, confronted and the characters repent. Kids can see it but the target audience really is married couples.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t necessarily recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
