Playing with FIRE: The Documentary

I thoroughly enjoyed this real-life documentary about a middle-class, overworked, over indebted, fairly typical North American family, who are stuck in a world where buying stuff and keeping up with the Joneses is the norm.

We learn about the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) philosophy, and how changing our view of what's important in life can, with the right skill-set and determination, change our lives.

I particularly liked how when they made a change in their lives, the time to retire was displayed, easily conveying the concept of how making changes can help us escape the rat race sooner.

Through the intimate lens of one family's journey, Playing with FIRE illuminates a growing movement of people questioning the traditional script of trading time for money. Scott Rieckens turns the camera on his own family's transformation as they discover the Financial Independence movement and grapple with radical life changes to retire decades earlier than planned.

What begins as a story about money evolves into a deeper exploration of modern American life, happiness, and what we're really working for. The film masterfully weaves personal vulnerability with insights from FIRE movement pioneers like Mr. Money Mustache, Vicki Robin, and JL Collins, creating a compelling narrative that makes financial independence feel both aspirational and achievable.

The documentary's strength lies in its honesty about the challenges and rewards of pursuing financial independence. Rather than glossing over the difficult conversations and lifestyle adjustments, it shows the real tensions, doubts, and breakthroughs that come with reimagining your relationship with money. Through this authenticity, it manages to make complex financial concepts accessible without oversimplifying them.

While the film focuses on a middle-class family's journey, its core message resonates broadly: our time is precious, and we have more control over our financial future than we might think. Playing with FIRE isn't just about early retirement-it's about creating the freedom to live life on your own terms.

This film is a solid introduction to the FIRE movement and many of the leading voices in the FIRE community. The film does a good job of explaining the key concepts of FIRE in an approachable, easy to understand manner. The strongest and weakest part of the film was following one family in the process of changing their lifestyle to persue FIRE. Each step of their journey is interesting. The glimpses into the family's life show as the FIRE concepts in practice. However, because the film show glimpses into their life the documentary can feel jolting at times. Overall, a good documentary worth watching.

I enjoyed this movie. It was a fun introduction to FIRE, without being overly heavy or technical. This movie showcased the emotional side of going through the FIRE process.

The entire movie is just perfectly made. You cannot afford not to watch this well constructed movie.