Freaky Frugalite

I saw the movie Fireproof last week. It was a pretty good movie. I like Kirk Cameron- I think he’s a good actor, and his enthusiasm for Christ and his job really shines through. He made this movie a great one, I think.

Fireproof is a story about a guy named Caleb, a chief fireman for a small town, who is married to Catherine. After seven years of marriage, the marriage is considered “over.” All the couple does is argue. Caleb feels that Catherine doesn’t respect him, and is becoming independent of him when she takes a job at a local hospital. Catherine is devastated and bitter by Caleb’s Internet porn addiction and his lack of caring for her and her parents (her mother had recently had a stroke, and Catherine is supporting her parents). It reaches the point where Caleb and Catherine are two bitter, nasty people, living in the same house but not relating to each other at all.

Caleb’s father, a Christian, encourages Caleb to try a 40-day experiment where every day, Caleb must express love toward Catherine through some deed. Caleb takes the challenge, but hates every step. Catherine is bitter, unforgiving, and is warming up to a hot-looking doctor at the hospital. And Caleb realizes that he just cannot love his wife, not like she needs to be loved (unconditionally).

I won’t spill the rest of the story, you’ll have to see it yourself. There are some really funny scenes in the movie, like when Caleb challenges an ego-centric co-worker to a tabasco-chugging contest. There is some drama, too, when a fire rescue event almost costs Caleb his life, and another scene with a very suspenseful car/train wreck. And some scenes are kinda cheesy: OK, there’s no fireman rescuing cats from the Elm trees or anything, but the last scene of Caleb and Catherine silouetted between the two fire engines is a little contrived. Still, it’s a good movie.

Also, the movie is outright-honest. It’s very interesting to see marriage itself brought to the forefront. So many times and in so many stories, marriages are usually saved because there are children involved. In Fireproof, there are no children. The marriage is worth saving because marriage by itself is holy and serious- an oath that you make before your partner, before witnesses, and before God. This was one of many excellent yet subtle points made in this movie.

There’s no swearing, no perversity, nothing like that. It’s a really great movie that you don’t have to be “on edge” with. I liked it for that reason, too. Check it out- it’s an excellent movie and a good one to show to teens, unmarrieds, and married people alike! The movie has a website with a trailer, here.

Related posts:

1. Reasons to Homeschool
2. A Review of “Faith Like Potatoes”
3. Marriage in Modern Times