In his Sept. 27 review, Neil Genzlinger opened with:

“’Fireproof’” may not be the most profound movie ever made, but it does have its commendable elements, including that rarest of creatures on the big (or small) screen: characters with a strong, conservative Christian faith who don’t sound crazy.”

“…. the cast of mostly amateurs (Mr. Cameron of “Growing Pains” being the exception) is surprisingly good. And the moments of comic relief are mildly amusing.

“Only at the end do the filmmakers get heavy-handed, and they seem not to know when to wrap up, letting the movie run on for several smarmy scenes beyond its natural endpoint. Until then, though, this is a decent attempt to combine faith and storytelling that will certainly register with its target audience. And maybe with other folks as well: among those caring-for-marriage tips are some that anyone could use to improve any type of relationship, with or without the God part.”

Not bad. Of course, lots of filmgoers have found themselves deeply moved and holding back tears at what Genzlinger describes as the “smarmy” scenes. And the film’s takeaway message is that the “God part” is what makes any of the tips actually work.

But for the Lavender Lady, the Fireproof review last month and the subsequent Bloom article were nice departures from the company line. On Oct. 24, it was back to business.