Review: "Marriage Retreat"

Roughly 2.5wks ago I was contacted by the lovely Anna Zielinsky regarding a movie that she not only stars in but helped write, produce, and (obviously) market! Once I learned that the movie was inspired by her personal marriage struggles and had Biblical backing I was ready to watch it! It also came at a perfect time for us since our church is hosting a marriage conference, but due to military obligations my husband and I will not be able to attend.

http://marriageretreatmovie.com/

I will not lie to you, this is not like the movie "Couples Retreat" and I don't believe it's meant to be. "Marriage Retreat" is a Christian film, scripture is sprinkled throughout the movie, the Bible is read aloud, the couples pray... but, it doesn't lack comedy. Especially since the comedic scenes are extremely relatable to everyday situations. I found myself laughing at things in the movie simply because I know my husband and I do them! Many of us unwillingly drag baggage into our marriages, our jobs take over our lives, priorities change over time, and on, and on... this movie follows three couples through these struggles. Each couple's struggle is different but if it didn't relate directly to me, it was still a good learning tool and I know some friends that could benefit from watching. The antics of the Marriage Counselor's are often quite blunt and in your face, but they seem to work, even if it takes some time for the concepts to sink in for the couples.

I will highly recommend that my Christian friends watch this movie with their spouse (mine thought some of the things were a bit "cheesy"-but he still said it was good overall). I also feel like it would be a great movie for non-Christians to view, even if they don't believe in God, there are many nuggets of wisdom that can be taken away from this film. As far as the military goes, I think the Chaplains should get together and host a viewing night in the Base Chapel, or at the very least the CREDO retreats should feature snippets from this film!

If you are interested in learning more about the movie please check out the Marriage Retreat Website, you can purchase the film at any Wal*Mart or Christian book store. If you are on leadership for a church and would like to host a viewing party, click here for more information. They also offer a free guide to use after watching the film featuring three themes of a successful marriage which allows for easy discussion with your spouse about your feelings.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The views and opinions of this review are my own. They in no way reflect the opinion of the United States Marine Corps or any other branch of the US Military. I received a copy of the movie as compensation for my time.