Sign In / Sign Up

Fireproof

Fireproof
Release date: 2008-09-26
Rating: 7.669
Votes: 835
Genres: Drama, Romance
A heroic fire captain values dedication and service to others above all else, but the most important partnership in his life, his marriage, is about to go up in smoke.

Reviews

tmdb28039023

tmdb28039023

I think Catherine Holt (Erin Bethea) sums up very well what’s wrong with her marriage to Caleb (Kirk Cameron): “You can’t expect me to work every day and get the groceries while you look at trash on the Internet dreaming about your boat.” She has a point, or rather two. According to her, Caleb “tuck[s] away a third of [his] salary saving for a boat we don’t need. [He has] $24,000 in savings when things in our house need fixing." You can’t argue with that; having a boat is after all a single guy kind of thing to do. I don’t need to tell the movie this – what with it being a "faith-based” drama –, but “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” In other words, ye cannot have a wife and a boat. As for the “trash” that Caleb is so fond of – i.e., porn –, I could see a way to work that into a marriage, but then both parties would have to be on board, and that’s precisely the problem with this movie. To help him save his marriage, Caleb’s father John (Harris Malcom) presents him with “The Love Dare;” a 40-day program that goes something like this: “Day one: … For the next day resolve to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything … Day two: … In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness,” and so on and so forth (on the 16th day he has to pray for her; in the movie’s funniest line, Caleb confesses “I kind of skipped that one.” This obviously happens before he relents and accepts Jesus Christ into his heart). Catherine takes her husband’s newfound attentiveness with a grain of salt (her friends advise her that “He’s trying to butter you up for a divorce,” whatever that means). Caleb calls his father and complains that “None of this means anything to her,” and he’s right, but how could it be any other way? How can something she doesn’t even know is going on mean anything to her? Oddly, when John talks about his experience with the Love Dare, he speaks in plural – e.g., “There was a point when we had no hope either” –; unless he’s using the royal ‘We,’ he means himself and Caleb’s mother. Caleb, on the other hand, hides the whole thing from Catherine, which a) doesn’t seem like the best way to go about repairing your marriage and b) wouldn’t it work better if it were a two-sided effort? It’s not like she’s completely blameless, either. And now to give the Devil, or I guess Jesus, his due. Caleb is a firefighter, and he and his crew are called to the scene of a traffic accident. A woman is trapped inside the wrecked vehicle, which in turn is sitting on some tracks right on the path of an oncoming train. They are “currently unable to make contact with the train dispatcher,” so Caleb & Co. have no choice but to manfully push the car out of harm’s way. This is all kinds of great. Not only does it put to shame many a newer, much more expensive film (is it an actual train? I’m not going to go out on a limb that it is, but if it’s CGI, then it’s the best damn CGI train I’ve ever seen), but it makes me care about the characters because I can believe they truly are firefighters putting their lives on the line – quite literally, in this case. Now, if only the movie had been about firefighting instead of a loveless marriage that avoids ending up in divorce thanks to a little ménage à dieu.

Movie Recommendation

  • Flywheel
    Flywheel
    2003-07-25
    Jay Austin wants to sell you a used car, but watch out! Many victims have fallen prey to his smiling face and hasty promises. Austin does everything his way until his dishonesty and manipulation are exposed. Like many men, he becomes disgusted by the masks he wears and the lies he tells. In every man's life, there can be a turning point. When Jay makes his turn, he never looks back.
    More...
  • Facing the Giants
    Facing the Giants
    2006-09-29
    A losing coach with an underdog football team faces their giants of fear and failure on and off the field to surprising results.
    More...
  • Courageous
    Courageous
    2011-09-30
    Law enforcement officers Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners stand up to the worst the streets have to offer with confidence and focus. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood. They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God... and to their children?
    More...
  • Akeelah and the Bee
    Akeelah and the Bee
    2006-04-28
    11-year-old Akeelah Anderson has a way with words. After winning her schoolwide spelling bee, she decides to enter the competition, despite her classmates' derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya. Thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr. Larabee, she reaches the finals. As she gets to know her fellow competitors, Akeelah realizes that coming first isn't everything in life.
    More...
  • You're in Love, Charlie Brown
    You're in Love, Charlie Brown
    1967-06-12
    With the school year coming to a close, Charlie Brown is trying to work up the courage to meet his dream girl, whom he only knows as "The Little Red Haired Girl." However, he's too nervous to go meet her upfront and all his attempts to impress her at school backfire disastrously. His friends, Linus and Peppermint Patty, try to help, but only aggravate the situation, while Charlie Brown desperately tries to find a solution to this romantic conundrum.
    More...
  • War Room
    War Room
    2015-08-28
    The family-friendly movie explores the transformational role prayer plays in the lives of the Jordan family. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, a middle-class couple who seemingly have it all – great jobs, a beautiful daughter, their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality, the Jordan’s marriage has become a war zone and their daughter is collateral damage. With the help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman, Elizabeth discovers she can start fighting for her family instead of against them. Through a newly energized faith, Elizabeth and Tony’s real enemy doesn’t have a prayer.
    More...
  • God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness
    God's Not Dead: A Light in Darkness
    2018-03-30
    Pastor Dave responds to the unimaginable tragedy of having his church, located on the grounds of the local university, burned down.
    More...
  • The Resistance Fighter
    The Resistance Fighter
    2019-03-15
    Based on the true story of Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, who served as a courier between the commanders of the Polish Home Army and the Polish Government in Exile in London. He must return quickly to Warsaw to transmit orders from the Polish PM to the Home Army's commander-in-chief before the start of the Warsaw uprising.
    More...
  • Nothing to Lose
    Nothing to Lose
    2018-03-29
    Authorized biopic of Brazilian evangelical bishop Edir Macedo, founder of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and owner of Record TV network. Based on a book trilogy of the same name, the movie tells the story of the self-made man who faced several moments of turbulence while pursuing his conviction.
    More...
  • Citation
    Citation
    2020-11-05
    A bright student in Nigeria takes on the academic establishment when she reports a popular professor who tried to rape her. Based on real events.
    More...
  • Egg Nogg
    Egg Nogg
    1988-08-15
    Following the emotions associated with entrance examinations to the faculty of pedagogy, Catherine Solska returns to his native village. And here she will surprise - the family without their knowledge to begin preparations for engagement with a rich neighbor Kolasa. Girl falls into despair, tries to oppose the decision of the parents, but is closed in his room. On visits to her fiance and flees out the window calling mail to the university. Receives misleading information and is convinced that was not accepted to college. Resigned returns home and agrees to the wedding. Meanwhile, on the eve of the wedding the postman brings the notice of acceptance to the university.
    More...
  • The Grace Card
    The Grace Card
    2011-02-25
    Everything can change in an instant ... and take a lifetime to unravel. When Mac McDonald loses his son in an accident, the ensuing 17 years of bitterness and pain erodes his love for his family and leaves him angry with God ... and just about everyone else. Mac's rage stonewalls his career in the police department and makes for a combustible situation when he's partnered with Sam Wright, a rising star on the force who happens to be a part-time pastor and a loving family man. Can they somehow join forces to help one another when it's impossible for either of them to look past their differences-especially the most obvious one? Every day, we have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and heal deep wounds by extending and receiving God's grace. Offer THE GRACE CARD ... and never underestimate the power of God's love.
    More...
  • Eat Locals
    Eat Locals
    2017-04-06
    In a quiet countryside farmhouse, Britain's vampires gather for their once-every-fifty-years meeting. Others will be joining them too; Sebastian Crockett, an unwitting Essex boy who thinks he's on a promise with sexy cougar Vanessa; and a detachment of Special Forces vampire killers who have bitten off more than they can chew. This is certainly going to be a night to remember... and for some of them it will be their last.
    More...
  • Love Jacked
    Love Jacked
    2018-12-07
    Maya, a headstrong 28-year-old with artistic ambitions – a strong contrast to what her father Ed wants: a dutiful daughter to run the family store. Ed is shocked when Maya takes her assertions of independence a step further and decides to travel to Africa for inspiration and returns with a fiancé who is not quite what he seems.
    More...
  • Ploey: You Never Fly Alone
    Ploey: You Never Fly Alone
    2018-03-30
    A plover chick has not learned to fly when his family migrates in the fall. He must survive the arctic winter, vicious enemies and himself in order to be reunited with his beloved one next spring.
    More...
  • Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
    Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot
    2024-07-04
    Led by Donna and Reverend W.C. Martin, 22 families from a rural Black church in the small East Texas town of Possum Trot adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place kids in the foster system and kickstart a movement in the process.
    More...
  • The Bravest
    The Bravest
    2019-08-29
    Based on real life events, the film revolves around the heroic efforts of a team of firefighters as they attempt to deal with a fire that breaks out at an oil refinery in Dalian.
    More...
  • Coffee Shop
    Coffee Shop
    2014-11-12
    When a young coffee shop owner is threatened with repossession she must take a chance with life and love as she fights to save her business.
    More...
  • Green Street 3: Never Back Down
    Green Street 3: Never Back Down
    2013-10-21
    An old firm leader returns to Green Street for revenge after receiving a call that his little brother was killed, but is he able to cope with a new type of hooliganism and can he find his killer?
    More...
  • Homecoming
    Homecoming
    2009-07-17
    A jilted ex-girlfriend plots revenge after her former beau comes back to their hometown with a new lover.
    More...

Similar Movies