This movie might be one of the most boring and senseless movies I've ever watched. And that it is a Christian movie - I'm a Christian myself, by the way - does not mean that it should not be critiqued. The plot is painfully predictable, and those people who claims that is a realistic and accurate portrayal of how it is to live in an abusive relationship, has quite frankly not any idea of what a real abusive relationship is. (SPOILER) Caleb was not abusive. Yes, he was an egoistic brat, bot abusive? No. He did not hurt Catherine in any way, and Catherine might possibly be the most weak female character I've ever come across in fiction. She does not get what she wants, and her reaction? Senseless, childish crying and wimping. She does not stand up for herself. She does not defend herself. She lets Caleb shout at her, and when he calls her an ungrateful woman - a scene which was unintentionally hilarious because Kirk Cameron just clenched his hands tight to show his anger, and even though he is an unbeliever, he does not utter a cuss or swear word once, which is very very unrealistic - she cries out that she "want's out." She does not even say "I want a divorce." No, just wants out. That scene was just unrealistic, badly acted and more funny and hilarious than tense and serious, which again shows the lack of talent from the Kendricks team. It would be way more realistic and shocking if he said "b**tch" instead of "woman," but oh no, then the movie would just be godless filth condemned straight to hell. Which is why American evangelicals can't make movies, nor should, because they don't even know how to write a good, realistic portrayal of the world in which we live. The couple is not christians, as far as I know, so a cuss word or two would make it far more believable. They act as very devout believers. That's just not believable, and if you think otherwise then frankly you don't have any clue as to how the real world works and are too enclosed in your evangelical Christian bubble to even begin to understand the outside world.
What Catherine did was just as bad as Caleb's actions. I mean, she cheats on him by flirting with a doctor? She does not have any feelings left for Caleb, and she does not reciprocate or thank him once, so for what I've seen, I would say he is entitled to be angry at her. He complains in the movie that Catherine does not respect him, and he is right. She does not respect him once! Nor twice! And the fight scenes between the couples is just, God ... That is the most unrealistic representation of marital discourse I have ever seen. I come from a divorced home, and my parents had often fought, and I can assure that it was way more tense and way more harsh than what is represented in this movie. It is too watered down and that destroys the redeeming qualities, because it gets too sugarcoated and unrealistic, and all the scenes which is meant to be taking serious, just falls flat as dumb and childish.
This is a great movie for christians already enclosed in their bubble isolated from the rest of the world. But the rest of us demands far higher artistic standards than what this movie has to offer. Don't go see it. It is a waste of both your time and your money.
What Catherine did was just as bad as Caleb's actions. I mean, she cheats on him by flirting with a doctor? She does not have any feelings left for Caleb, and she does not reciprocate or thank him once, so for what I've seen, I would say he is entitled to be angry at her. He complains in the movie that Catherine does not respect him, and he is right. She does not respect him once! Nor twice! And the fight scenes between the couples is just, God ... That is the most unrealistic representation of marital discourse I have ever seen. I come from a divorced home, and my parents had often fought, and I can assure that it was way more tense and way more harsh than what is represented in this movie. It is too watered down and that destroys the redeeming qualities, because it gets too sugarcoated and unrealistic, and all the scenes which is meant to be taking serious, just falls flat as dumb and childish.
This is a great movie for christians already enclosed in their bubble isolated from the rest of the world. But the rest of us demands far higher artistic standards than what this movie has to offer. Don't go see it. It is a waste of both your time and your money.