Fireproof (2008)

"This is a movie that will impact couples in a profound way for decades to come.  Dennis Rainey, President, FamilyLife
"...get[s] its heartfelt message across with undeniable sincerity.  Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
"Cameron is genuinely compelling as Caleb.  Joe Leydon, Variety

Editor's Note FIREPROOF, from the same team that made the 2006 hit FACING THE GIANTS, is a Christian relationship drama with a very strong message. The film stars Kirk Cameron of the classic television series GROWING PAINS as Captain Caleb Holt, a fireman whose fearlessness is limited to his work. At home with his wife of seven years, Caleb shows little of the bravery he displays on the job, and has a failing marriage as a result. Fighting over every little thing, Caleb and his wife, Catherine (Erin Bethea), are on the verge of signing divorce papers when Caleb's father and coworkers urge him to approach his marriage in the same way he fights vicious flames. When Caleb's father gives him the "Love Dare," a 40-day guide to religiously motivated marriage help, Caleb begins a difficult journey to reclaim his wife, and in the process, his faith in God. With several action-packed scenes, FIREPROOF uses fire metaphors in its exploration of marriage. The film offers an alternative to the common romantic comedy and, some might argue, a more multidimensional view of romance. The film examines both the ups and inevitable downs of married life, offering faith as a prescription for saving what may at first glance appear to have already failed. Likely to please its target audience, the film offers a fresh perspective on marriage and inspiring relationship tips viewers may want to try regardless of their faith.

	Ken Bevel
	Jason McLeod
	Kirk Cameron
	Erin Bethea
	Bob Scott - Director of Photography
	Alex Kendrick - Screenwriter
	Stephen Kendrick - Producer
	Stephen Kendrick - Screenwriter
	Stephen Kendrick - Story
	Mark Willard - Composer
	Alex Kendrick - Producer
	Alex Kendrick - Story
	David Nixon - Producer
	Alex Kendrick - Director

Austin Chronicle 5 of 10
Let's just come out and admit already that Hollywood is a steaming cesspool of deviance, hedonism, and casual amorality...So what a surprise it must have been this past Monday when, all over that godless town, industry insiders opened their trade papers to discover that a low-budget Christian film about the spiritual perils of divorce and the power of prayer, produced by a Baptist church in Georgia, written by two associate pastors, starring a bunch of nonactors (with the exception of former-Tiger Beat-heartthrob-turned-televangelist Cameron), and totally free of sex, violence, or curse words, was the No. 4 movie at the box office. Of course, the time was ripe for such a triumph -- it's been years since Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ proved that the religious dollar is as green as the secular one -- but it took Fireproof to prove that you don't need good acting, good writing, or good directing to make an evangelical movie that catches Tinseltown off guard. In fact, the writing and directing Kendrick brothers, Alex and Stephen (who also made Facing the Giants), have raised blandness and narrative predictability to the level of high art. Their script for Fireproof is almost sublime in its devotion to artless, unambiguous sentimentality and wide-eyed, tear-filled, gauzy, suburban spiritual wonder...Fireproof, in other words, is American Evangelical Christian storytelling at its finest, storytelling for a world entirely devoid of gray areas or ethical hierarchies, a world where hatred is tantamount to murder and lust is equivalent to adultery and all of the above equal damnable sin: a world free of pesky moral malleability -- which makes for fruitful soul-fishing but lousy drama. - Josh Rosenblatt

The Onion A.V. Club 5 of 10
In the history of marital discord in the movies, has there ever been a blander conflict than the one between firefighter Kirk Cameron and his goodly wife Erin Bethea in the dismal Christian-themed melodrama Fireproof? Granted, not every couple can shout boozy insults like George and Martha in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, but one with real problems--be it adultery, poverty, substance abuse, value systems, whatever--should be a minimum requirement. Basically, the problem with Cameron and Bethea's marriage is that he's pissed off because his wife actually expects something from him, like extending a little kindness to her or washing a dish every once in awhile. He's like a gardener who never supplies a drop of water to a plant, then rages petulantly when the plant wilts. And when Cameron gets in a rage, out comes the baseball bat...Fireproof gets hung up in a lot of Promise Keepers hoo-hah about reaffirming marriage as a covenant with God rather than a contract filed at City Hall, but that's just a cover for two fundamental points about the movie: Cameron acts like a childish jerk, even in the reconciliation phase, and the underlying reason is that he--and the movie--hates women...As in most Christian narratives, the hero starts out agnostic and winds up embracing the Lord with full-on born-again fervor, but the absence of God has no evident bearing on what's wrong with this marriage. Had the film not included sequences of Cameron saving people in the line of duty--an occupation that's useful in supplying many cheesy metaphors--he would come off as an irredeemable villain, quick to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation...The best he can do on Day 40+ is bring his ailing wife a damp cloth and a bag full of Chik-Fil-A. What a catch! - Scott Tobias