When you think of the name Kirk Cameron you probably think of the breakout star from Growing Pains. That is especially true if you over the age of 25 and you stopped watching movies in 2000. Since then, Kirk Cameron has become more known as the star of a series of religious films based on the Left Behind novels than anything else he has done. The problem with those movies is that they are basically critic-proof. Those that love Christian films are going to love those films. Those that don’t already, likely aren’t going to be converted to liking them. Now toss out the name of director/writer/actor/minister, Alex Kendrick. The same fans of Left Behind will know immediately that is the man behind 2004’s Facing the Giants, a religious inspirational sports film that was produced by the Sherwood Baptist Church in Georgia. Now Kendrick is back with another film produced by the church that he preaches at called Fireproof. Who does he pick to star in this film? Who else but Kirk Cameron.
Cameron stars as firefighter Caleb Holt, whose wife of seven years, Catherine (Erin Bethea), wants a divorce. Caleb is ready to give up on the marriage altogether, but his father, John (Harris Malcom), gives him a book called The Love Dare and challenges him to follow its steps before throwing in the towel. The book outlines a 40-day program for restoring marriage—complete with appropriate Bible verses. Grudgingly, Caleb agrees to try this, but it doesn’t work at first because supposedly he isn’t a Christian. But even after Caleb decides to become a Christian, he still faces an uphill battle to win Catherine back, since a married doctor at the hospital where Catherine works wants to be with her as well.
This film cleary has a message to deliver. The Sherwood Baptist Church believes in the sanctity of Christian Marriage, and that a marriage between a man and a woman before God is the most powerful thing. So Fireproof is basically a vehicle to further spread that message. Now the central message of this film is a good one. They try to teach everyone to treat each other with respect and compassion, and also be willing work hard to maintain relationships with your loved ones. The way they go about delivering that message is a little misguided, though, and it makes most people feel like they have an agenda. But you have to give the Kendrick Brothers some credit. The plot is mostly predictable, but it was refreshing to see that Kirk Cameron’s character still had to struggle to keep his marriage in tact, even after he became a Christian. Usually films like these tell you that everything will be alright if you just become a Christian. Here, they still tell you that everything wrong in your life is due to you not being a Christian, but once you do become a Christian, it’s not a magical cure for everything.
What really hurts Fireproof as a film is the horrible acting. Most of the actors are unpaid volunteers, either working for the Sherwood Baptist Church or have been recruited by Alex Kendrick to be in this movie. But the real sore spot is actually Kirk Cameron. He overacts in almost every scene. Maybe his character does have a lot of rage and anger inside of him, but Caleb is such a jerk to Catherine in the beginning, that it’s hard to root for him in the end. It doesn’t help that Cameron doesn’t have a lot of chemistry with his on-screen wife, played by Erin Bethea.
Fireproof is a movie that preaches its message best to the choir, so to speak. And while there’s a good message to be found, the overall tone of this film is self-righteous, and that will immediately turn away the people that aren’t already converted. If Kendrick and Cameron would have lowered the volume down on everything, Fireproof might have been a film that was easier to swallow for those that don’t already believe in what they are preaching. As it is, though, you REALLY have to believe in the message to overlook all the other flaws that exist in this film.
The video presentation in 1080p/AVC at the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen color ratio. This transfer is good, but not great. The colors are mostly vibrant and bright throughout. There are various moments where the film doesn’t look as sharp, but due to the limited budget for the film, you can’t expect it to look any better than this.
The audio is available in English Dolby 5.1 TrueHD Surround sound, French Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD Surround sound, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD Surround sound, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French as well.
Audio Commentary –
There is a full-length audio commentary with Writer/Producer Stephen Kendrick and his brother, Writer/Producer/Director/Actor Alex Kendrick. They give a lot of insight into making this film, but it’s not as entertaining as you would have liked. Half the time they just continue to preach their message.
“Fireproof: Behind the Scenes” Featurette –
This runs 22 minutes and it’s the usual “fluff” making-of featurette. Behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with the cast and crew, and more talk about the message of the film.
Love Dare Promo –
This runs 5 minutes and talks about the creation of the Love Dare book, in conjunction with the movie, and about how it ties scripture in with the process. Basically, letting go of your ego is the base message that everyone can learn from.
“Marriage Matters” Featurette –
This runs 7 minutes and it talks more about marriage, similar to the previous featurette. This one asks men to take a “leadership role” in their marriages.
“Firegoofs/Jokes and Pranks” Outtakes and Bloopers –
This is a blooper reel that totals 8 minutes. Again, not really funny, but fans of the film will probably enjoy it nonetheless.
Deleted Scenes –
There are 15 minutes worth of scenes that didn’t make the final cut of the movie. They were all cut for times reason. You can hear commentary from Alex Kendrick about why these scenes were cut from the film, though.
“Filming a Movie in 30 Days: Fireproof Video Blog” –
This runs 20 minutes and it takes viewers behind-the-scenes and basically is another “making of” featurette.
“Fireproof In 60” Highlights –
This runs 1 minute as you might expect. It’s a humorous summary of the film.
“Wayne On Wayne” Interview –
This is a 3 1/2 minute interview with the funniest firefighter from the film, Wayne. He stays in character and gives comic responses to interview questions. This is pretty funny actually.
“Wayne’s Firehouse” Featurette –
This runs 6 minutes and it has Stephen Dervan in character again as Wayne Floyd. Just him going around the fire station and acting crazy basically.
“Fun with Mr. Rudolph” Featurette –
This runs 1 minute and it’s another comic look at one of the characters from the film, Mr. Rudolph.
Music Video –
This is a music video for “Slow Fade” by Casting Crowns.
If you liked Facing the Giants, you will probably like this enough to give it a spin in your Blu-ray player.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents Fireproof. Directed by Alex Kendrick. Written by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. Starring Kirk Cameron, Erin Bethea, Ken Bevel, Harris Malcom, Phyllis Malcom, Walter Burnett, Jason McLeod, and Stephen Dervan. Running time: 122 minutes. Rated PG. Released on DVD: September 29, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
