Daniel Radosh takes on the film "Fireproof," an underground Christian blockbuster starring Kirk Cameron as a married firefighter who struggles against pornography. Radosh is not impressed:
Cheesy? Heavy-handed? Yes, and intentionally so. In films like this, an evangelistic and ministerial mission do much more than a good script to assure commercial success. Not only has Fireproof made a handsome profit, but The Love Dare, a book which did not even exist until it was created as tie-in to the movie, is now at the top of The New York Times bestseller list. A Fireproof Your Marriage study kit and other products are also selling briskly.But in making evangelism--and acceptability to the most insular Christian audiences--a priority, Christianese films all but guarantee artistic failure. Art demands an honesty that the evangelical bubble would find intolerable. Committed to promoting an unambiguous message that God solves all problems, Fireproofnever portrays Christians doing anything untoward, or even experiencing any sorrow. Caleb's parents' marital struggles pre-dated their Christianity. When Caleb's best friend reveals that he divorced his first wife, he not only says it was before he found the Lord, but adds that after he did, he would have gotten back together with his ex had she not already remarried. In the perfect world of Fireproof, good Christians do not have bad marriages, any more than they drink, gamble or swear.
Any of you seen this film? Me, not. Sounds like prime Barbara Nicolosi fodder for commentary. Once again, we sally forth into the territory of Art vs. Propaganda, Elitism vs. Mass Popularity, and so on...
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
I liked Fireproof. I've not been a big fan of "christian" movies and I totally get that faith in Christ doesn't guarantee a harmonious marriage. I thought it was a good effort though. I hope they keep making movies.
As someone who loves old movies, I thought Fireproof was a perfect example of someone trying to "make 'em like they used to". Was it art? Not really, but was it intended to be? It's not for everyone, but why should someone be lambasted because they want to make an optimistic, uplifting film that obviously has a waiting audience? Make your own film if you know so much about what Christians ought to be doing... because these guys proved you can do it.
At times we felt we were at a Baptist church listening to a Baptist sermon. The acting was largely bad, and the trite humor and stereotypical characters were on the level of a TV sitcom. But we both thought Kirk Cameron did a good acting job, and his character resonated with me - and apparently with many male viewers - in terms of dealing with and trying to overcome his failures as a husband, Christian or otherwise. He redeems the movie, IMO, and I have heard more than one powerful testimony from persons I wouldn't really consider Christian about how this film impacted them. It can make grown men cry, and that's not a bad thing.
It's not a good film, certainly not a great film, but it's a worthwhile film, if that makes sense.
forestwalker: Good link to the "heathens making Christian movies" article. Only thing he got wrong that I can see is claiming that Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky was of Catholic background; Tarkovsky's background was Russian orthodox. As this Tarkovsky link points out:
With his Russian Orthodox background Tarkovsky presents an unashamedly religious view of the world, firmly in the tradition of Dostoevsky (whose novel The Idiot was one of his failed film projects). The figure of the "holy fool", a common motif in Russian literature, is clearly represented by the eponymous Stalker, by Domenico in Nostalgia (1982), and by Alexander in The Sacrifice, and slightly less obviously by Ivan in Ivan’s Childhood (1961), Andrei in Andrei Rublev, and (I would suggest) Kris in Solaris. At the same time this spirituality is deeply rooted in the material, especially in the solid Russian landscapes, the shots of ordinary household objects, and the recurring elements of fire and water.
I totally agree with Kris in Solaris serving as a "holy fool," and Solaris is incredibly rich in Christian imagery (including some hard philosophical examination of points like free will, all done in a beautifully cinematic and *non*-preachy way.)
Here's the commentary I did on "Fireproof" for WORLD Magazine's web-site.
Cheers.
Warren
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.