It is not often that one gets to see good Christian movies at theaters. It is rarer still to have said movie prove all Hollywood pundits wrong and come out tops at the box office despite being made on a shoe-string budget and features no more than just one lone household name — that of Kirk Cameron’s. The rest of the cast either have some acting experience or are complete amateurs.

The movie didn’t come across as anything close to amateurish, though. That’s a blessing in itself because the world, in my opinion, so needs to hear the message within. In a world where marriages are no longer considered sacred and, worse yet, being redefined by liberals as extending to unions between same-sex couples, the film’s Biblical message on marriage is timely.

Kirk Cameron is Caleb Holt, the chief at a small fire station in Albany, Georgia. Married seven years to his wife, Catherine (played by Erin Bethea), the couple are experiencing problems in their marriage. To borrow a secular spin, we’d say that the romance has died — whispered sweet-nothings becoming all-out verbal brawls, tender words have disappeared, replaced by sporadic to zero communication, amid all the usual signs that accompany a marriage in peril.

Caleb feels he’s not getting the respect he deserves at home, something that, on the flip side, he enjoys plenty of at work. Catherine juggles work and worries about her parents, especially medical expenses for her mom who hasn’t been herself since suffering a stroke.

Things come to a head when Caleb and Catherine agree to a divorce after a big fight. Upon learning of the impending separation, John (Caleb’s father) implores Caleb to hold off the divorce for 40 days while giving the advice he penned in a book The Love Dare a go. (Incidentally, the actors who play Caleb’s parents are a real-life couple — Harris and Phyllis Malcolm).

Caleb commits to the challenge.  In the process, he also learns of Jesus Christ’s love for sinners like himself and becomes a Christian. From then on, we see a change in Caleb and a series of events leads to a happy ending where, finally, Caleb and Catherine call off the divorce and instead re-dedicate their commitment to each other under the light of the covenant that God intended marriage to be since creation.

It’s a happy ending, almost fairy tale-like, but that’s not to say it’s not at all possible that the same scenario is played out in marriages the world over. No doubt we should still see the film as a movie in general and a great job at teaching Christian values through a film, but I was a little disturbed.

Here’s why: from a Christian perspective, it seems to say that if you become a Christian, then even a marriage in peril can be fixed and you can only expect happy endings like that portrayed in the film. Yes, I do realize that I might be nit-picking, but I wish that message could somehow have been clarified.

The other aspect of the film I found lacking was the fact that there wasn’t much reference to the Bible. Only one particular verse was mentioned in John’s book to Caleb; I don’t remember any other verse mentioned until the end of the movie. I thought it would have been good to include a few more in the film, especially those dealing with marriage which I think you’d agree would be most apt.

I’m relieved, though, that towards the end of the film, the producers saw to it that the message that it was God who changes lives was articulated through John, Caleb’s father. There was a little too much emphasis on The Love Dare up till then.

Despite these flaws (which might just be me nit-picking, of course), I found the movie totally enjoyable. It is primarily a tear-jerker especially towards the end, but the timely injections of some comic moments saves it from being labeled a chick flick. Kudos go to many in the cast who were acting in a movie for the first time, and I want to especially mention Ken Bevel (a Captain in the United States Marine Corps in real life) who plays Caleb’s best friend Lieutenant Michael Simmons for an outstanding performance.

Do I recommend the film?

Yes, a resounding yes; Fireproof is a must-see in my opinion:

1. The film and its Christian message on marriage being a covenant is a breath of fresh air in a flood of secular movies where marriage is but a part of life and nothing more. Couples split up for the slightest reasons and move on to the next “right” person, never even bothering to work on their marriages.
2. It shines a Biblical light on the institution of marriage (defined as a union between a man and a woman) as being a covenant and a life-long commitment to one’s spouse.
3. Issues like addiction to pornography and other vices are dealt with, albeit with a light touch, but with enough force to make many realize the dangers such addictions pose to both their personal lives and marriages.
4. Finally, the Gospel is well-presented, and there’s no lame invitation to say a little prayer to become a Christian or (God forbid!) a Jesus-shaped hole in his heart to be filled. Caleb is convicted of his sins, and subsequently his need for Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

Fireproof makes for great couple time for any married couple or those planning to exchange vows in the near future. And it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been married — I’m quite sure many married couples will identify with at least a handful of situations portrayed.

At least we did.