The Bodyguard is an example of a movie that isn't for everyone. I personally didn't either love it or hate it, I was overall kind of eh on it. The dialogue is cheesy, the characters underdeveloped and lacking subtlety, the pace drags in the middle and the story makes little sense. However we do have some good cinematography, locations, costumes and editing, credible direction and a great soundtrack including the haunting And I Will Always Love You(and it will always be the best version no matter how many Huston wannabes try to sing it and end up murdering it). The acting is fine, Kevin Costner is good and Whitney Huston is more than credible in a role that showcases her beautiful voice excellently. Overall, The Bodyguard is a love or hate it sort of movie, but for me my reaction was mixed. 6/10 Bethany Cox
The Bodyguard
1992
Action / Drama / Music / Romance / Thriller
The Bodyguard
1992
Action / Drama / Music / Romance / Thriller
Plot summary
A pop singer has been receiving threatening notes, and her manager hires a bodyguard known for his good work. The bodyguard ruffles the singer's feathers and most of her entourage by tightening security more than they feel is necessary. The bodyguard is haunted by the fact that he was on Reagan's secret service staff but wasn't there to prevent the attack by Hinckley. Eventually the bodyguard and the singer start an affair, and she begins to believe his precautions are necessary when the stalker strikes close to home.
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Love/hate...
A very standard movie with a little bit of corn
Former Secret Service agent Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner) is a no nonsense bodyguard who doesn't like to get involved with his clients or stay around too long. Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) is a pop diva with a stalker. Her manager Devaney (Bill Cobbs) begs Frank to work for her. She is reluctantly to have the bodyguard interfere with her life, and it's obvious that they haven't told her the worst of the situation.
Written by Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Mick Jackson, this is a very standard and predictable thriller. Kevin Costner is very solid as the straight laced guard. Some may downgrade the movie because of Whitney Houston. However I found her to be a good natural performer especially for someone who is untrained. She actually adds a sense of reality. There is no denying that she has the persona of a pop diva. And it helps to have her great soundtrack to prove the point. The romance is a bit corny. That's probably its biggest weak point. The movie expects a little too much from an acting novice.
Still a crowd-pleaser, and oh that soundtrack.
Take probably the most beautiful pop singer of the past 30 years, give her a slew of obvious hits to be and a thrilling story, and you've got the makings of a smash movie. Give her probably the biggest movie hero of the past 30 years, and you've got the makings of the stuff that legendary screen romance is made of. They are Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and once you get past the feeling that this is a forced interracial romance, you can actually see how it progresses.
Her character of Rachel Maron is undoubtedly based on Houston herself, and once you get past what the press has said about her and see her safely away from the spotlight and just able to be herself, you really route for her. As she says about her reputation, it's only because of what's been said about her that she has become that way, and that's only when she feels she has no choice.
Also, being surrounded by a bunch of people that won't tell you no, it's difficult not to become a little spoiled. It's amazing to watch her character express her vulnerabilities, especially when Costner insists after a night together that he shouldn't have allowed it to happen. He's very concerned about the fact that there's possibly a psycho killer after her since a slew of pasted threatening letters have come to her attention.
It's rather a wistful experience seeing this again for the first time in many years because the emotions with the story and the facts of Houston's life can get in the way. But that wouldn't have mattered much had this not been a good movie and had Houston and Costner not had chemistry. You really get to see the goings on in the life of a superstar and the hassles of fame, her kindness to fans and how she treats her staff, which includes a her sister who gave up her own dreams and an adorable son whom Costner comes to adore. Ralph Waite is also memorable as Costner's father.
This has many classic moments and if it is an old fashioned type of movie, that makes it all the better. A great star of the cinema gets a very funny cameo in the Academy Award sequence which is filled with tension, as is a concert scene where she is accosted by the fans watching and Costner must go into action. He's perfectly quiet yet brave knowing all eyes are on her, and she really proves herself to have star quality as an actress as well as a singer. The soundtrack is still played today, and I can see it easily standing the test of time to where it will be played still in another 30 years.