"Fireproof" Review

When it comes to art, I'm picky. God is as much honored by artistically sensitive expression as he is by the content being expressed. Oftentimes "Christian" art, in an attempt to make sure that the "point" is clearly communicated, runs recklessly over the crucial artistic element of subtlety. "Fireproof" is certainly guilty of being overly didactic. It's almost like there was a list of principles the director was checking off, making sure he got them all in no matter how cheesy and George Lucasesque it forced the dialogue to be. As a result, there were moments when the characters embodied the very inauthenticity that nonChristians are so critical of in real life. Subtlety is part and parcel not only of good art but also of authentic living. When we fail to acknowledge this in our lives and the lives of others, we come across as disingenuous.

However, I'll come right out and admit that I bawled my eyes out. Fireproof will be criticized for being overly simplistic. And to a certain degree this criticism is warranted. But at the end of the day the central message it was trying to communicate, the central message of Christianity, really is very simple. That the fullness of life (and the key to a successful marriage) is found in the paradox that whoever wants to be first must be last and the servant of all--that we are able to love because God first loved us-- is not merely the kind of substance that can grip you for 2 hours in the theater, but the kind that should absolutely change your life. "Fireproof" drives this home. If you and your date are just looking to be entertained or be familiar with what they'll be talking about at the Oscars, there are definitely better options than "Fireproof." (Though it definitely kept my attention and had many good moments.) But if you want to help ensure that you and your date will even be going out 10 years from now, I suggest you see this movie.