'The Vow' Real Couple Hoped for More Faith in Film
The real couple who inspired this month's top new movie, "The Vow," has stated they wished more of their faith was incorporated into the film.
Based on the true-life events of the couple Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, "The Vow" stars Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.
The film has proved to be a hit, premiering in time for Valentine's Day on Feb. 10, it earned over $1 million in its first week out. Today, "The Vow" remains the highest-grossing film in theaters.
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Despite the box office success of "The Vow," as products of Hollywood often do, the film lost some of the luster from the book, and in this case, Christianity.
"The movie doesn't talk about faith significantly," Kim Carpenter told Fox411.com. "It would have been nice to see more of it."
Paige, portrayed by McAdams, suffers severe head injuries in a near-fatal car accident leaving her with no memory of her husband Leo, portrayed by Tatum, within the first five minutes of the film.
Up to that point, the movie's plot was parallel to the actual events the Carpenter's experienced. Everything that followed, though, took a very different course.
Devout Christians, Kim and Krickitt Carpenter were wed after a long and careful courting process involving prayer and church. Their attraction to one another as well as their relationship was built around their faith, and ultimately it was their love of God that saved their marriage.
In the film, Paige and Leo married after a few dates, one of which included a game of "chocolate roulette" where the couple fed each other candy. Instead of holding their ceremony in a church, the couple wed in a museum and exchanged vows that lacked any religious weight whatsoever.
Another sharp difference between the Carpenters and the fictional couple, Kim and Krickitt remained married despite the memory loss, financial problems, and arguments without ever considering divorce. In the movie, Paige and Leo ended their marriage.
Paige and Leo's story is based on their idea of love and marriage relying largely on emotions, circumstances, and "moments of impact;" fate rather than faith.
The Carpenters relied "100 percent" on their faith to help them recover from the car accident.
"Once I accepted that I was married to [Kim] and I had been in an accident, I just kind of went with it," explained Krickitt Carpenter to The Christian Post. "I trusted what my parents said and I had wedding pictures and videos, and I turned to the Lord."
Upon viewing the movie, the couple agreed that is captured what that had emotionally endured, despite not covering their faith. The Carpenters are thrilled that their tale has reached such a huge outlet, and as the film gathers popularity, more and more people will hear about their love.
"It is the pinnacle of what we really found to be an answer to prayer," said Kim of the movie speaking to CP. "Look at what this story has reached, and now we just tapped into so much more, it's amazing what God has done with this story."
The Carpenters cherish the moments they spent the set of the movie and the memories from attending the screenings. Hearing viewer's reactions, especially the fans who are taking another look at their own marriages, is "the best part."
"We had someone come up to us and tell us that we are the inspiration," said Kim. "A security guard came up to me and said, 'Mr. Carpenter I want you to know I saw the movie and it changed me, when I get back home I'm gonna work it out with my wife,' and he was crying."
The Carpenters live in New Mexico with their two children, Danny and LeeAnn, and plan on continuing to share their unique story with the world.
"We are very blessed," noted Kim.
