
To be honest, when my wife, Krissy, asked me the other day if I wanted to see Fireproof, I thought….YES! My reasoning was, if the word “fire” is in the title then there must also be guns, chase scenes, and lots of explosions. “So who’s in it,” I asked? “Kirk Cameron,” she replied. Though it would be great to see good old Mike Seaver with a machine gun chasing the bad guys, I was certain that he hadn’t made the switch to action hero quite yet. Then I remember that I had heard of him making a new movie with the same creators of “Facing the Giants” a movie I was pleasantly surprised by as it was made by a baptist church (as I understand). But instead of the action thrill a second movie plot I was hoping for, I discovered the storyline of this movie revolved around marriage. Now don’t get me wrong….I love my wife and am thankful every day for my marriage. I’m even glad if you (my ambigious readers) are married. But I’m in this regard, I’m probably a fairly stereotypical red blooded American. I mean, I put the date for the James Bond opener on my blackberry calendar like 6 months in advance as to make sure I’m not double booked. The reality is, I don’t get excited about seeing drama, relationship movies….I hated Titanic (though the “near, far, where ever you are” song is STILL stuck in my head…and don’t even get me started on Michael Keaton’s “My Life”….by the end of the movie I though I was the one who was dying. So to say the least, I wasn’t super thrilled about the movie Fireproof. But my wife had the day of school, we’ve been super busy lately, and I had promised her that we could spend the whole day together and do whatever she wanted…so Fireproof it was. But as we walked into the theater and purchased the tickets, I soon started regretting my decision. Eagle Eye, Body of Lies, Pride and Glory…..I was surrounded by action films, all playing close by, easily available yet I couldn’t make myself stop following my beautiful wife into a romantic drama and a Christian made one at that. My only hope of making it through the movie awake was the package of peanut m&m’s that I smuggled into the theater in my coat pocket.
So finally, the movie started…and to be honest, I wanted to be critical, I wanted to smirk at the cheesy acting and the over the top Christian references….but instead, I found myself engaged, and even tearful at times. It ended up being one of the more realistic renditions of an actually marriage that I’ve seen (with “The Story of Us” being right up there too.) In fact, I felt at times that it was our story that we were watching…certainly not every detail, but what couple is not on a journey to re-win each others hearts and to restore the love and passion that they had in the beginning.
I found myself wanting to hold my wife’s hand…and that was a big decision, because it was formerly holding my back of m&m’s, but I had to make a choice.
I also thought the movie was an excellent presentation of the Gospel. I was worried about it being legalistic or lawfilled, but it never really came. So in the end….I’m glad I saw FIREPROOF and even liked it! I would highly recommend couples to go see it, but ladies, make sure and bring a few tissues, your guy will need them.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1129423/