Fireproof, 4/5

Rated PG. Click here to view the trailer.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to report that Christians have finally put together a decent movie. Fireproof is far far far from being a great movie, but for once we’ve done it right.

Growing Pains' pain-in-the-derriere Kirk Cameron is Caleb, a firefighter whose marriage to Catherine (Erin Bethea) is falling apart. He struggles with certain addictions and she has eyes for a doctor at the hospital where she is a PR hack. Excuse me, “PR practitioner.” She doesn’t respect him, but a guy who rescues complete strangers for a living, he doesn’t really deserve it. The both are lousy communicators who can only agree that a divorce is their best bet. This is a Christian movie with wedding rings in the poster, so we know they’re compelled to work things out, courtesy of a fellow firefighter and Caleb’s recently converted father.

I seriously doubt that any souls were saved by the Left Behind movie (another Kirk Cameron vehicle), but there’s an honest chance that this movie could actually make a difference in people’s lives and marriages. Cameron was so intent on maintain the integrity of the film’s message, that in the climactic scene when he and Catherine are supposed to kiss, he persuaded the director to make it a wide angle silhouette shot so he could fly the real Mrs. Cameron out and kiss her instead. I’ve heard some make fun of him for this acting “limitation,” but think it makes an enormously important statement A) about marriage in general and B) that he and the rest of the cast/crew truly believe what they’re saying. For once, this set of Chrsitians can’t be accused of hypocrisy.

Sure, non-Christians will likely find the movie preachy, but I can conceive of someone being legitimately convicted here if they’ll just give it a chance. I’m not the target audience for this movie (it is definitely aimed at couples), but I didn’t get bored, which was a major fear. There were actual twists in the plot that I did not see coming. Had I not lowered my expectations, I might have caught on earlier.

Cameron or Bethea aren’t going to win an Oscar any time soon. There aren’t any stellar thespians in Fireproof’s credits, but for a cast of nobodies with zero acting experience and an 80s child actor, they do a great job. Cameron got on my nerves at first, but he doesn’t do a half bad job. I’m proud of him and happy for him. Bethea is no Dame Judy Dench, but for the daughter of Sherwood Baptist Church’s (the church’s production company produced the film) pastor, she does a pretty respectable job.

It’s a pretty thin plot and the movie feels a little too long, but quite frankly my expectations were so low I’m willing to forgive it all. Sure, things are a little cheesy, but the acting is competent, the directing is competent, the soundtrack is competent, the editing is competent, the special effects and the script is competent. Sometimes I think God is less than thrilled with some of the “art” we produce in His name, but I have to think He probably gives this one a “see it” endorsement. Not that it really matters compared to His, but I give a “see it,” too. This movie doesn’t suck! Hooray!

One final thought: One of the movies flaws (there are a few) is the fire fighters that make up Cameron’s crew. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t meet some of the requirements for entering a firefighting academy, and these guys probably couldn’t either. Let's just say that human fat burns very well.