The Bodyguard (1992)

Whitney Houston's screen debut is a lavish urban thriller that takes itself quite seriously but never gets going. The film stumbles from one scene to another and never has any semblance of a coherent, believable story. The production values are top notch all around but the plot is utterly senseless. Houston does well in her role as a temperamental diva, is talented, pretty, bitchy and vulnerable. She fares much better than star Kevin Costner, who plays the title role. Costner seems unsure of himself and comes across as tentative and hopelessly wooden, although he and Houston do seem to have a bit of chemistry between them. Ralph Waite is fine as the bodyguard's father but the rest of the cast overacts to the point of silliness.

Fmovies: I was interested to note from your "Trivia" page that it was originally intended to make this film in the seventies with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross in the leading roles, but that the film never got made because it was "too controversial". The cause of the controversy was presumably the mixed-race love-affair between Frank and Rachel, as there is little else in the script that might upset anyone. The story centres around Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent now working as a private bodyguard. He is hired by Rachel Marron, an African-American pop star, who has been receiving death threats, presumed to come from a mad stalker. Frank's obsessive concern with security initially alienates both Rachel and some of the other members of her entourage, but, after a number of misunderstandings, he becomes first her friend and then her lover. He, however, is unhappy about becoming emotionally involved with a client and ends the affair. He would also like to end his employment with Rachel, but she is becoming genuinely frightened for her own safety, and he agrees to stay on to protect her when it is clear that she is in danger from an unexpected source.

When I first saw this film in the cinema I disliked it. I was a great admirer of Kevin Costner's performance in "Dances with Wolves", and I went to see "The Bodyguard" in the hope that it would be a film of similar scope and vision. Of course, it isn't, but then it was never intended to be. Having seen it again recently on television, I was rather more impressed than I had been the first time. There is a respectable performance from Costner as Frank, a man who on the surface seems cold and detached but who hides his emotions under the surface- not only his love for Rachel, but also his feelings of guilt stemming from the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. Frank was not on duty at the time- in fact, he was attending his mother's funeral- but he cannot escape from the thought that, if he had been present, he could have prevented the President from being shot.

Whitney Houston is a beautiful woman, with a beautiful voice which was shown off to good advantage in this film. Her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" is one of the most haunting ballads I know, far superior to the Dolly Parton original. Her character is supposed to be an actress as well as a singer- the finale actually takes place as she receives a "Best Actress" award at the Oscars. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Whitney will ever emulate her alter ego in this respect, as her acting is certainly not in the same class as her voice. She seems to have too small an emotional range, and it is no surprise that her subsequent film career has been so patchy. "The Bodyguard" is a perfectly adequate thriller-romance, if at times too slow-moving, but I felt that it might have been better with a more commanding female lead. 6/10

A movie/music star who needs protection from a psychotic fan, wow what a concept. And who better to play it than Whitney Houston, a stretch I know.

The plot is totally disappointing and bland. Luckily the on-screen romance and chemistry from Houston and Costner, along with a great soundtrack, save this film from being a total bust. The love story between Costner and Houston becomes the main driving force, preventing the film from running out of ideas. In the end the romance is what you take away from the film, not the convoluted mystery plot.

It's enjoyable in the end and I would recommend it. Of course the soundtrack is one of the best and most popular in history with "I Will Always Love You", "Run to You", "I Have Nothing", and "I'm Every Woman."

The Bodyguard fmovies. I just recently watched The Bodyguard again and i forgot how good it was.

Costner plays the role of the obsessed bodyguard perfectly and Houston's first feature film performance was flawless.

This story of an obsessed stalker terrorising a famous performer and the bodyguard trying to protect her at all costs, was made in a refreshing way, even to compete with todays movie standards

Mick Jackson's The Bodyguard is a great movie to watch over and over again even when you find out whodunnit .

The Bodyguard is a movie with many flows and one redeeming factor: the WH factor. People went to see this picture because they wanted to see Whitney singing and she delivered some of her most passionate vocal performances before the mesmerised eyes of her millions of fans on the big screen. Let's face it, who wants to see her acting when she can sing so beautifully?

The unrelenting criticism by couch 'drama experts' of her acting seems a tad over the top. She never claimed to be an actress and despite this being her film debut, she did not disgrace herself. She did the best she could with what she was given: a patchy character with very little to say. What else could she do to play this role? Well, just what she did, sing her heart out.

The best thing that Kevin Costner did was to insist that Whitney was the only one he wanted for this part. He knew he had a winner, but he also tried to do too much with the story: a romantic thriller with patches of 'comedy', a study in professional-personal conflict and 'who done it' thrown in. That's the reason for the plot's erratic turns and the non existent character development. The glue that holds the whole mess together is Whitney, the singer, looking stunning and sounding like an angel.

This could have been a gigantic flop and instead it was a massive hit. It will remain a phenomenon in popular culture because it delivered what the vast majority of its audience wanted: escapism, a couple of hours away from their own reality and a look inside the glamorous life of a superstar. They were entertained by a great pop singer, who had made a huge video clip for her songs and they did not mind paying for the privilege. Those who hate The Bodyguard, went to see it with some unrealistic expectations of 'serious cinema and acting'?! Hey, go to see foreign movies with subtitles for that and come down from your pretentious cloud.

Oh my, what a wonderful movie. Hollywood is known for churning out a lot of sentimental mush that's supposed to pass for romance. But, thankfully, this is not one of those movies. In this movie the main characters, the bodyguard and the lady he is hired to protect, are likable and have a relationship that develops into something really beautiful and special. Moreover, the story is plausible and the movie is well-acted too, with Whitney Houston turning in an outstanding performance reminiscent of Diana Ross's in Lady Sings the Blues (which is another great movie). If you want to watch a movie with good acting and an engaging story, then this is the movie to watch.