I'm almost ashamed to admit this...

...but I'm watching this movie, Fireproof. It's got Kirk Cameron in it, which is not, in itself, that remarkable. The embarrassing part is that I'm taking it on the recommendation of the Duggars.

Last week, I was channel surfing, and wound up watching an episode of 18 and Still Counting. Which, I have to admit, I really rather enjoy. There's something very comforting and real about the Duggar family, as unconventional as they are. Anyhow, so they took the family tour bus and went to this big Christian film festival, and raved and raved and raved about this movie.

And....well....I kind of have to agree.

So, basically, Kirk Cameron is a fireman with a failing marriage. And his dad convinces him to try and save their marriage, and gives him this 40-day "dare," a plan of ways to change the way he thinks about his wife and his marriage, to be a better man and a better husband and a better Christian. With some Bible verses to go with it, of course.

It's not the best acted movie I've ever seen. And it's a little contrived (there's this whole "porn is the devil!!!" subplot that's a little like, oh, whatever...). But it's already made me cry like six times (which, I also concede, is not hard). And not as formulaic as you might think. It's definitely a Christian movie, in that there's a lot of talk about God, but there's something to be said about the kind of values it endorses, too. And I appreciate that it's not smack-you-over-the-head religious. And it's got this very...genuine quality to it.

I definitely recommend it. And it's safe to watch with your kids (or your parents, for that matter), which is kind of nice.

The one thing that still weirds me out, though...there's this very nice kiss at the end. And during the Duggar episode, Kirk Cameron revealed that he won't kiss any woman he's not married to, so they had his actual wife stand in for the actress who played his movie wife. Which, I guess that's nice. It just seems...I dunno. Fussy? Isn't that sort of the thing about about...you know...acting?

I did really like the salt and pepper on the cake at the end, though.

There's an interesting quote, though. At one point, his father says to him,

Don't just follow your heart, because your heart can be deceived. You've got to lead your heart.

I don't know if I agree with that. I think, maybe, you can not listen very well, you can let other things be louder than what's truly in your heart, but if you really listen, I don't think it'll ever lead you down a path that wasn't meant for you.