Review of Fireproof (2008) by Joy D — 26 Aug 2009

HAHAHA, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT MOTHER EFFERS. I LOVED THIS MOVIE.

Lol but seriously. I really did like it. I think that hearing that it was a "corny, bad acted" movie was actually probably a good thing for me, as it completely lowered my standards. And yes, while the acting was pretty bad (possible exception of Kirk Cameron) and some stuff was overtly Christian-preachy, I liked everything else about the movie. I can totally understand how people (especially non-Christians) would think this movie is a pile of junk. It just seems that Caleb all of a sudden becomes a more caring, considerate man. There's no character development shown there. There also may be "too much Jesus" (I don't think that's ever possible, but i'm looking at this through the eyes of a nonbeliever who didn't like the movie.) And yeah, the movie feels awkward at times, feeling like... well, feeling like a Christian group made it.

HOWEVER, this movie had a lot of what I look for in movies. I usually like and appreciate movies that are done well, BUT in order to win my movie-going heart, you've got to touch it (the heart, that is.) And this movie touched it. I don't know, I seem to get touched by a lot of Jesus-related things in movies, because I can directly relate. In this movie, when the movie awkwardly portrays a Caleb conversion, that's not a big deal, I can substitute my own personal experiences. Sure, they don't portray everything perfectly, but I understand what they're talking about.

Also, mostly what I decided to watch the movie for, there were really good messages. Honestly, I KNOW i'm going to be putting this movie on in the future a couple more times, whenever i'm feeling a strain on the relationship between me and my future wife. There's stuff in here I need to constantly put in my mind, and stuff that really gets me thinking (which is another thing I love movies for.) This movie really made my head turn about the nature of romantic relationships, God's role in it, etc. And oh, the salt and pepper analogy, lol, that's sik cute.

So basically, what this movie comes down to is this. Cons: bad acting, sometimes awkward story development, and sorta cheesy. Pros: I was really able to relate to it/it touched me, and it made me think. Those two Pros are HUGE for me, so this movie isn't escaping a 4.0 star rating. (Just for information's sake, anytime I feel significantly emotionally moved by a movie, it's an auto 4.0+ star movie. Not necessarily the other way around, though: not all my 4.0+ star movies have moved me).

Basically, if you're a Christian, you've got a shot at liking this movie. If you're not, this is like a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. You know what I'm talking about.