Fireproof: A review

A few weeks ago I wrote a post questioning whether a movie can save a marriage. The movie in question is "Fireproof." Adriano and I had a chance to finally watch it last night and so I thought I'd offer a bit of a review.

You have to get past the bad acting and out of sync audio initially, but once you do, you get immersed in the movie's beautiful story. It's about a struggling marriage. Both partners are on the verge of calling it quits. They don't feel love for one another any more, only resentment and irritation. On a dare from his father, Caleb (Kirk Cameron) gives himself 40 days of following the principles of the "The Love Dare" to see if he can turn his marriage around. The movie takes the viewer on the journey of what that experience was like for he and his wife, giving glimpses into how each of them needed to change the ways they viewed and thought of their marriage (and their behavior in it) in order to find common ground and love again.

So, do I think this movie could save a marriage? Adriano and I think "Fireproof" has a great message and offers hope to couples ready to give up. It offers a plan, a regimen, for finding common ground again; a prescription for how to renew your love. I think if people follow the plan, the chances for success are high.

I questioned in the original post on this topic if this movie would be a good one for any couple to watch, regardless of what state your marriage was in. I thought it might offer some tips and techniques on how to be a better spouse even if you weren't on the verge of walking out. There are a few things offered in the movie, although subtle. It's really about saving a marriage on the brink of divorce. Yet, despite this, there was one philosophy that resonated with Adriano and I.

One of the love dares was to "study" your partner. The principle behind this is that when you're dating someone you're constantly learning more about them. Yet, oftentimes, once you get married that constant learning stops. You assume that you know everything there is to know about that person when in reality, at best, you only have a high school diploma's worth of knowledge about that person. You need to keep studying to get your Masters and Ph.D.

Adriano and I have questioned what level of knowledge we have about each other since watching this movie yesterday. I think we've surmised that we have a bit more than a high school diploma, but don't quite yet have the Masters. We both agree that having a child, seeing how we interact with that child and each other once that child arrives, that this likely will be the learning curve required to give us the Master's degree on each other.

I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone else that has watched the movie. © 2009 - Brianna Sylver - All rights reserved