Charismata Review: Fireproof

Fireproof is a 2008 film by the Kendrick Brothers and stars Kirk Cameron as Caleb Holt, an angry asswipe that doesn't communicate with his wife and isn't nice to her until she wants a divorce. Yeah, that's pretty much the whole movie right there. They don't divorce either because it's not in the interest of the Sermonverse

Story Synopsis

Young Catherine (1983) wants to marry her firefighter Dad when she grows up, and lo and behold, she marries firefighter Caleb Holt. This scene is supposed to be heartwarming but this must be what evangelical guys that go to the Father/Daughter proms fantasize about.

Flash to 2008. Coming back from a fire Terrell is pissed at his partner for leaving him and trying to be a hero "This ain't no game, you're messing with people's lives" Caleb reprimands him "You don't leave your partner behind especially in a fire, give him time to cool off and apologize to him"



Now to set up Catherine. A year since her Mom's stroke, she is trying to get her a hospital bed and a wheelchair. She visits her parents and comes home to Caleb asking her to do a grocery run. Understandably she replies "You work 24 hours and are off for 48 the least you can do is get groceries and you never tell me when you'll be home anyway! You put a third of your income away for a boat when we need the back door painted and new landscaping out in the backyard. I also be shoppin' so I want more shelves in the closet"


Anyway, she doesn't mention the fact that her Mom needs a bed because it would make Caleb look cruel saying "You think I give a damn about your Mama?!"



Why aren't the household bills taken care of with her 50-60K salary? I think the Kendrick Brothers put this in there because the main thing lots of spouses argue over is money...which they seem to have plenty of so...SCRIPT is the reason




So Casa Holt goes from no pizza to "Shut up you ungrateful disrespectful selfish woman" after airing out the burdens they carry, we see Catherine is pissed about Caleb watching porn and being a selfish idiot. Let's not pretend that a man that would scream in his wife's face wouldn't have hit her. He is so obsessed with earning respect due solely to his job that he refuses to see he is not worthy of it, not because he watches porn but because he is an absent and abusive husband. Catherine wants out and I don't blame her one bit.



Next scene where they both are talking to their friends. Woman with her girlfriends, gossiping. Guy talking to his guy friend, wise counsel. The way the writers frame it is bogus and honestly I don't think either of them knew what they were in for when they got married

I do hope though that Tasha and the other nurse can get a Tyler Perry penned movie of their own, they'd be excellent and I'd watch that too






Caleb's been confiding in his Dad about his marital problems and says Catherine wants out and oh shit we have to go to handheld cam and pull a car off the tracks. We need more people! Oh look a SOLDIER--nod to AMERICA! Now, is there someone in the passenger side or not? I can't tell where she went between shots.

Wait, why did the black guy get the simulated near death experience that is shocking but in all like a bee sting? "Don't tell the wife my hat got knocked off my head and my ass has brush-burn from the train...wait tell her I got brush burned by the train so she doesn't think I'm cheating on her"




See, no one in the passenger side

Literally THE NEXT SHOT










Shoutout to America! If you're a soldier you're automatically a good person!

Caleb visits his parents but he only wants to hear from his Dad because he's a misogynist gasbag that wants to be right. He treats the women in his life like crap and wonders why his wife doesn't respect him! So Dad says: I'm gonna send you something in the mail, it's the book that our film promotes!

Caleb gets to the Love Dare book and the nurses that work with Catherine relays a story of  man that acted nice to get a better divorce settlement.  Catherine is right to suggest that this is a possible motive. After all, Caleb is selfish and I don't think he means to be but he really shows it in the way he refuses to help his wife with the house. He starts the Love Dare halfheartedly as if splurging $45 on some flowers with his salary would be breaking bank, and Catherine sees right through the cheap flowers and chocolate he got her. The flowers look like they were about to get euthanized.

Justifiably confused, Catherine reaches out to her girlfriends. As usual, this is looked at negatively 

What's interesting to me is that Catherine will dig into Caleb over "watching trash" on the Internet, aka porn but she thinks it's okay to basically flirt with Dr Gavin while she's still married to Caleb? Watching trash for him, and flirting with a colleague aren't honorable regardless of why she's doing it, even though I understand. This additionally means that Dr Gavin isn't all that honorable flirting with a woman he didn't know was married, while we find out HE is married at the end of the flick

As time goes by he becomes genuine in his tasks and becomes a Christian because plot point. He starts helping around the house and takes care of Catherine when she gets sick--bring on the Chick Fil Gay! She discovers The Love Dare book, Caleb reveals that he is on Day 43



Catherine believes that Dr Gavin gave Catherine the money her mother needed for the hospital bed and thanks him. He doesn't say he didn't give any money because he did give $300 to the effort. The rest came from Caleb and when Catherine finds it out she thanks him profusely and forgives him.

Now I wonder something about the donations and things: Was it against the law to tell her who gave what? I don't think it's a HIPAA violation but I don't think that normally happens.

Catherine and Caleb make up and they dress Chelsea Noble as Catherine because Kirk Cameron won't kiss anyone not his wife even in his films.



They start going to church and PLOT TWIST: John (Caleb's Dad) tells Caleb that he was the one that wanted the divorce and not his Mother, who did the Love Dare on him. Caleb apologizes to his Mother but I'd have loved it if she Ike Turner slapped him and her husband for making her the baddie.



That's the movie

Now part of me loves the happy ending but the beginning sequence of marrying Daddy when she grows up is creepy. They look at love as action in the movie and that's a good thing but being told to disregard our feelings is quite contradictory because a gut feeling can save us from trouble and has many times. The fact that people of the opposite sex can't be friends in this sermonverse is awful. I wish that Gavin could've put the hammer down and said "I'm a married man Catherine and you're a wonderful colleague but our relationship has to remain professional" I've had a work crush and kept it professional, why can't she?

If someone is telling you this movie is a great example of how to save your marriage, take it with a grain of salt then burn the DVD, or better yet watch the review by Maggie Mae Fish (https://youtu.be/Gh581gMSZY0) as she makes the case that Fireproof is all about money! The actual review of the movie starts at the 24 minute mark but the whole video is really a fascinating breakdown of the framework and worldview.

Another interesting source on why Fireproof's advice isn't biblical is here (https://biblicalgenderroles.com/2016/04/17/why-the-movie-fireproof-offers-unbiblical-and-bad-marriage-advice/)

This has been A TrainwRex review!

I give Fire proof

1 fire hydrant out of 5