Our Sunday school class happens to be a group of 30-40 something couples, most of us with young kids. This year, we've been using a marriage enrichment program for our curriculum and, as part of that, decided to do a movie-night where we all watched Fireproof together.
If you aren't familiar with the film, it's the story of a young couple struggling to understand what it means to be in a covenant marriage together. To be honest, I was very unsure of what the quality of the movie would be and how well I'd be able to hear the message amidst any politics or faith that might be a bit too conservative for me, personally, to identify with.
I was right about the quality of the acting, with the exception of less than half a dozen main characters who were excellent actors. Rather than being a distraction, though, the fact that all of the actors were real people (mostly church and community members) impressed me greatly. Likewise, the message had just the right tone for me to really identify with it.
It was a excellent movie with an excellent message for anyone in a covenant relationship. I don't even think that you have to be having a rough time with your marriage or be struggling with issues to get something out of the film. I highly recommend it!
As a quick preview - here's a light hearted "cliff's notes" version of the film that the actors and director put together as a "refresher." It makes an hilarious preview, but is even better if you've already seen the film.
We showed this a couple of weeks ago. The viewers found it slow, plodding (and boring). I found the theology a bit on the much too evangelistic side for even my middle of the road PCUSA congregation. I suggest previewing the film before showing it.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the relationship message was good, but nothing much new there. The setting was a bit over the top to make it very realistic, IMHO.
I think it's all about expectations. I knew what the movie was - and who made it - going in, so was pleasantly surprised by how much I got out of it.
ReplyDeleteIt might be true that there was "nothing new" in the relationship message, but it's also true that what we usually see in books/movies/music/television shows are the beginnings and ends of relationships, rarely the hard work it takes to keep a marriage healthy through the tough stretches. For that alone I found the movie valuable.
For what it's worth, our congregation too is pretty middle-of-the-road PC(USA) and the group of us watching the movie together included some who identify as conservative and religiously listen to Focus on the Family radio and others who are waaaay left of center, both politically and religiously.
I think I'd agree with you whole-heartedly, Joan, if I'd stumbled upon this movie in the theater. But knowing in advance that it was a step above amateur and that I might have trouble with the theology made a lot of difference in the way I received the movie.
One of my daughters who likes this so much has been pushing me to watch it. After seeing the short video I will. Thank you for posting it. And I am an evangelical so maybe I won't have any problems : ) Of course if the acting was bad I would anyway.
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