Thursday, October 2, 2008

Fireproofing the box office

The elements were there: Kirk Cameron Christian superstar ala Left Behind, a $500K budget, a soundtrack made of cheesy christian radio singles. I was ready to be treated to tired church platitudes and sermons preached by characters with heavy southern accents that almost sounded faked...

And somehow a film with all those elements I described beat out Brad Pit in the box office for the #4 spot, having opened on less than 1000 screens, and being marketed almost purely by grassroots means. It has caused a firestorm in Hollywood, and for good reason!

This movie wasn't just a success in the box office, it was a win in the heart of the story it tried to tell. I walked away, not thinking about the hit and miss supporting cast, or how bad the soundtrack was, or the obvious low budget camera work. I didn't care, because somehow the purity of the story got deep inside me. Someone said the movie made them want to be a better person, and that is how I felt.
It relied on too much "christianeze" for most outsiders, but for the Christ follower, and especially the person struggling with their marriage, this will be time well spent. For me, the most exciting thing is the way this movie will pave the way for more and better independent films, and change the way faith based films are marketed. To that I would give 5 stars.

I could write a review of the movie itself, and point out it's strengths and weaknesses, but someone else took the time to write an excellent review that I almost completely agree with, on both it's praise and criticism, both of which I believe are necessary for art to improve.
Patrol Magazine: 'Fireproof'

Also of note is the discussion surrounding this movie. It has captured the attention of Hollywood in a big way.

1 comment:

  1. Your right about the story getting to people. And that it would get into the hearts of people with marriage trouble. But I think it has the power to do more than that. If Godly men, and women, go into marriage and courtship/dating already aware of these "Love Dares" or something similar. If they knew how to care and listen, learn about and love their spouse before the "To death do us part' bit, then there would be a lot less divorces or broken marriages.

    People are so caught up in the "Falling in love' angle that they skip many vital steps. It's easy to fall in love. In fact it's one of the easiest and most natural and common things to do. It's hard building foundations that are going to withstand the hard times.

    I loved the movie though.

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