“Fireproof doesn’t mean that a fire will never come, but that when it comes, you’ll be able to withstand it.”
Have you noticed how Hollywood seems to delight in marriage? But not a healthy, godly marriage––marriages that are broken and unfaithful. We are constantly informed of the latest news of a star’s ending marriage, or of some unfaithfulness going on. And most of the time, it’s with some amusement. That’s why it’s so refreshing to watch a movie that portrays a real glimpse of what marriage often becomes, and what it should be.
Fireproof is one of the best and most convicting movies I’ve seen. Produced and directed by a church in Georgia (who has also made several other movies), this $500,000 movie has brought in tens of millions. Although I was skeptical of the acting, which had been reported as being mediocre, I was blown away by the message.
Kirk Cameron plays lead character Caleb Holt, a firefighter whose seven-year marriage is burning to the ground. He has experienced the ever-common complaint of many married couples––he’s fallen out of love. And his wife, Catherine, played by new-actress Erin Bethea, feels the same way. They both individually feel as though there is no love left in the marriage and that anything good is far outweighed and overshadowed by the bad. The film is very honest in portraying some of the “parasites” in marriage. Caleb struggles with pornography (the movie is very subtle with this), and Catherine faces a temptation many women encounter––another man who attends to her emotions while her husband neglects them.
On the brink of deciding on divorce, Caleb is challenged by his father to try the “Love Dare.” He reluctantly commits to this 40-day challenge of sacrificially loving his wife, and struggles to remain dedicated as his wife rejects any effort on his part to save their marriage. In one moment of frustration, he argues with his dad, saying, “How am I supposed to show love for somebody who over and over and over constantly rejects me?!”
It’s then that the amazing truth behind a successful marriage is revealed––we can’t do it without God’s Spirit working in us. Jesus could have easily asked the same question to His Father––“How am I supposed to love them when they keep rejecting Me?!” As Christians, though, we are given this Helper. When we acknowledge that we don’t have the strength in us to love our spouses on our own, and allow God’s Spirit to work in us, that is when we are able to love our spouses the way God commands.
Fireproof does a great job of realistically portraying a deteriorating marriage that is void of God. It is also very straightforward in its message of what God wants a marriage to be. This movie is one that should be seen by any married couple, whether they are struggling or not, as it challenges us to evaluate our marriages and sacrificially love our wives and respect our husbands as God commands (Ephesians 5:33).
By Lisa Grimenstein
Great review. Fireproof is an awesome movie. I watched it with my wife. We both had greatly changed out outlooks by the end of the movie. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants a better marriage.