Updated Friday, June 20, 2008

Sherwood Church produces hit that may fireproof marriages

By Tim Rogers

Special to the Recorder

A story is told about French author Victor Hugo anxiously asking his publisher about sales for his new book Les Miserables. Hugo sent a telegram that said simply, "?". His publisher sent this response "!": a lesson on brevity I apply to my task of reviewing the upcoming release of Fireproof.

Fireproof is the new movie presented by Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Ga., the same church that released the 2006 success Facing the Giants, which grossed more than $10 million at the box office while spreading an encouraging Christian message. While at the SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis, my family attended a special screening of this new family friendly film.

I am not a professional movie reviewer, nor do I attend many movies. Thus, the following is only the impressions of a preacher who saw a movie for free that he believes is worth spending money to see again.

The plot keeps you engaged as it follows the main character, Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron), as he embraces the lie of materialism. Cameron's character is struggling to save a failing marriage, maintain a successful career as a fireman, and deal with a flawed perception of a nagging mother, all while making life peaceable.

In the midst of this chaos, he finds anchors in a father and a friend who openly, but not obtrusively, share their faith. As you watch, you will notice how well the movie engages real life. It kept this viewer embracing his daughter, holding his wife's hand, and all the while wiping tears that came both from laughter and emotional empathy.

If you see this movie, you will be drawn into the amazing intensity of dramatic rescues. You will also find yourself laughing hysterically at the antics of firefighters in the firehouse, along with the attitudes of nosey neighbors.

The salvation scene is especially moving. I felt like shouting as the camera panned to the cross. Many people did shout at the screening.

The production values for this movie while professional, also endure some amateurish glitches. But those scenes are not so problematic that they detract. However, you may notice some halting between lines and awkward movement between some scenes.

Those who saw Facing the Giants will notice a return of some characters; a reminder that Hollywood did not produce this movie. Overall, the production leaves room for improvement, but the discrepancies did not detract from the movie.

This movie is a "must see" for everyone, but especially for couples. It reminded me that I have stopped dating my wife and I came away from that movie with a renewed passion for a return to dating her again.

A production package was made available to pastors to enable us in promoting this movie, something our church is praying about. Other churches can get the same promotional material.

What can I say about this movie? I simply remind you of the brevity and insight of Victor Hugo's publisher. !

(EDITOR'S NOTE - Rogers is pastor of Yadkin Baptist Church in Statesville who writes at www.SBCToday.org and at http://rebekah1.wordpress.com/.)