By Scott Williams
The movie, Fireproof, which premiers tomorrow (Friday, September 26) nationwide is receiving a lot of positive advance publicity from the mainstream media. One of the most encouraging was an NBC Today Show interview with the movie's star, Kirk Cameron. Interviewers Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford were close to swooning with everything Cameron said about marriage, commitment, and working through relationship difficulties. Both seemed to be responding not so much as interviewers, but instead as women who love to be loved. This movie seems to have found a soft spot.
Of all the topics that the Today Show interview segment addressed, the highlight was about Kirk Cameron's conviction not to kiss another woman other than his wife, even on screen. So for a powerful scene at the end of the Fireproof, lead actress Erin Bethea stepped out and her body double, Chelsea Cameron, stepped in to do the scene in silhouette.
Watching the segment, I was struck at the response of Kotb and Gifford to this very un-Hollywood movie on marriage. It's the kind of message that usually resonates with mainstream Americans while drawing the smug comments and disdainful reviews of movie critics. Granted, Fireproof is still a bit short of Hollywood's moviemaking quality, but its positive marriage message is something that Hollywood can take some serious lessons from.
As a polished movie, Fireproof is probably a 6 or 7. As a message, it's a 10. But it seems in these days of uncertainty about marriage, most people would be willing to give up a bit of entertainment quality for a strong dose of encouragement.
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