Fireproof is Red Hot in Theaters
Posted on September 29, 2008
Filed Under Entertainment, News Flash |
In 2006, Alex Kendrick and his brother Stephen, both members of Sherwood Baptist church, wrote and produced Facing the Giants, their second family-friendly independent film. While the production values were on par for a low budget film, viewers were drawn to it’s message of faith and trusting God to do the impossible–both professionally and personally.
Last weekend Alex and Stephen, with the help of a few hundred volunteers from church, returned to the big screen with their third independent film, Fireproof. While Giants tackled winning on the football field, Fireproof addresses those who are struggling to win at their marriage. That concern is something Dr. Dobson has addressed numerous times on our Focus on the Family broadcast. Which explains why I resonate with the heart of this film.
Throughout the picture the theme of never leaving your partner behind serves as a fitting metaphor for marriages that are in crisis. In an interview earlier this year, Alex explained, “The foundation of marriage has been attacked, devalued, and redefined by many in our culture. It is our desire to tell a story that would allow the audience to relate to common marital issues, and then to take them down a path toward understanding principles for unconditional love through the roles of husband and wife . . . we want people to realize that fireproof does not mean the absence of fire, but the ability to withstand it.”
Not surprisingly, Boston Globe correspondent Michael Hardy panned the movie as “melodramatic, made-for-TV shlock.” Still, audiences across the country are filling theaters evidently drawn by the message of hope rather than an arsenal of special effects. On opening night last Friday, Fireproof placed 4th in the top grossing U.S. film releases. By the way, you might get a kick out of knowing that our Plugged In Department director, Bob Waliszewski, has a brief cameo.
If you’re planning on going, keep in mind that while Fireproof, rated PG, is a family-friend film, it’s not for the little ones. The issues of marital discord, divorce, affairs of the heart, rage, and the consequences of addiction to pornography are probably a bit heavy for those under age 13.
Regarding the low budget production values, Stephen Kendrick told us, “When people butcher our films on Rotten Tomatoes and say, ‘This isn’t Oscar-winning material,’ we say, ‘We know!’ We’re just people who are working with what we have at a small church in Georgia.’” I, for one, am glad to see them pursue their dream. I know marriages will be changed by the message of this film. For more details, read our review at PluggedInOnline.com.
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7 Responses to “Fireproof is Red Hot in Theaters”
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Jim Daly is the President of Focus on the Family. He has been married to his wife, Jean, since 1986. They have two sons. The Daly family resides in Colorado Springs. Finding Home represents Jim's musings on work, family and faith.
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Glad to hear it’s doing well. We saw it on Saturday in a full theater and people clapped when it was over! :)
Our Life Group (bible study group) took the night off and went to see this film. We invited several of our friends and they came along too. We laughed, cried, sat on the edge of our seat and throughly enjoyed this movie. Kirk Cameron was very good as the fireman that needs to pay attention to his marriage and not his own selfish wants. This movie reminds me of why we enjoy going to the movies in the first place. Many of the older films made in the 50’s had similar themes. We love to see the good guy overcome obstacles greater than himself and get the girl in the end.
I believe this movie accurately reflects American life. This is what Hollywood doesn’t understand. We don’t mind paying good money to see compelling characters, a good story line, and a tough guy cry.
It’s nice for Christians to have entertainment and a movie they can attend with the family, but to be honest the movie is only interest to someone who is already a Christian. The majority of the film’s appeal is the message not the actual film. Film makers have a delicate balance (this is especially true for Christian film makers) between creating something their market wants to see and doing something broader in appeal and risk offending their guaranteed audience in search of new viewers. Fireproof falls into this category.
Between the low production value, wooden script, and predictable preaching to the choir dialogue, Fireproof is a nice Sunday School film, but it is not main stream. Don’t get me wrong it has great production value when you consider how low the budget is, but we should not kid ourselves into thinking main stream films can be produced for 500,000 dollars.
It’s a hit this week, but,films which are geared towards a specific audience do well the first week and then trail off fast once the intended audience sees the film. Not trying to be negative, just real.
I was so blessed by this movie. We don’t usually see movies with such a strong, clear Christian message in the theaters. Judging by the enthusiastic response of the audience, hearts were being tenderized. Lives will be changed.
There is a message for married as well as single adults in this movie. I have been telling everyone I speak with to go and see it.
I pray that this movie will break records so that Hollywood will take notice. It’s about time that we influence the culture for the Kingdom of God.
We went to see the movie and would highly recommend it to others. It was neat to hear the gospel shared so clearly. I wish we could have more good movies!! The movies was emotional, suspenseful, and humorous. Thanks for giving us something good to watch!!
My wife and I saw Fireproof on Sunday Sept 28,in Sacramento, CA. Our theater was full and the people cheered as well. We have been married for 27 years. Some of the scenes were tough to watch, but I laughed, cried, and was overjoyed with this movie. I went to http://www.fireproofmymarriage.org and found some great resources. I have challenged my guys group to take the Love Dare for their marriage. May God heal our families, to heal our communities, to heal America! Let’s rise up onto our knees for our marriages. God bless you and thank you for supporting families and Biblical principles.
Your Brother,
Michael
Today is our 28th wedding anniversary. Yesterday we saw FIREPROOF. People in the theater were clearly moved. One lady several rows behind us was sobbing. I wanted to go up and comfort her when the lights came back on at the end of the movie but when I turned around she was gone. Her cries were heard by GOD and by us and so we pray for whatever is so clearly breaking her heart.
We are in the ministry in a small church in rural America. Something in the story of FIREPROOF will hit an alarm in every marriage. It will also burn something into the hearts and minds of each person watching because it is real life, not Hollywood’s version. Hollywood doesn’t sit in rooms with people and try to pick up the pieces, to listen to the sorrowful siren of despair or help others try to clean up the smoke damage. GOD is our shield, without it our marriage could have been ashes. We were ready when the fire hit.
Hollywood knows charred remains and builds mansions over them trying to cover up the damage. Leaving relationships in the basement is not a good foundation for anything.
The movie gave HOPE. Love always hopes. How often does GOD hear what we heard behind us at the movie only they are silent screams in the worldy realm? Is that what emotional ashes sound like? Only GOD can rebuild something out of ashes!
Hey, if a fireman can cry and a movie can be made without swearing ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!