User reviews

Frank Farmer is a top line bodyguard, formerly secret service protector to President Reagan, he is approached to guard Rachel Marron, the latest pop sensation on the cusp of Hollywood domination. After initially being reluctant to take the job, Farmer gets to the task of protecting Rachel from a potential maniac who's been sending her threatening letters. As the initial in camp hostilities die down, Frank & Rachel start to draw ever closer, but so does the person who wants her dead...

The Bodyguard is one of those films that was long in gestation, originally mooted in 1976 to star Steve McQueen (it was written with McQueen in mind in the 60s) and Diana Ross, it was put on the back burner after McQueen fell ill to the cancer that killed him. Then it resurfaced in 1979 with Diana Ross to play opposite Ryan O'Neal, but the two stars just couldn't get on and the project again fell by the wayside. Enter Kevin Costner and his boys at TIG Productions, original choice to star alongside Costner, Maddona, ruined her chance (thankfully) of starring after being a bitch to Costner in her Truth Or Dare documentary. In stepped Whitney Houston (brilliantly diva casting), Costner gave himself a crew cut (in homage to McQueen) and The Bodyguard went on to make $410,900,000 worldwide.

The film now seems like a myth to me because the rating across many forums is on the low side, critics hate it and you will be hard pressed to find macho film fans readily about to own up to liking the picture. That's a shame because as undeniably nonsense as it is, it has got a great thriller heart to blend in with its romantic core. The good ship Bodyguard may dock at all the formula ports in the genres, but it's one hell of a journey getting to the end, even with that song that seemed to top the charts for years! (the soundtrack to the movie selling 17 million in America alone).

In spite of the obviousness of the plot, and the general feeling of familiarity, The Bodyguard has much going for it, things that ensured it became a monster hit and had cinema goers queueing round the block to see it. Houston is something of a revelation, here she nails the diva bitch heart of gold portrayal of Rachel with astonishing ease, and couple that with a voice sent from some deity paradise far away, makes her total value for money. Costner also stepped up to the plate to win a new breed of fans as Farmer, his charm and laid back manner works well with a ruggedness that the male viewers could easily get on side with. The rest of the cast are merely playing second fiddle to the well matched up leads, and outside of Gary Kemp becoming increasingly annoying as the film progresses, they all blend in well to create what is now a sadly undervalued picture.

See it with someone you love, don't just take my word for it, look at the box office take, it doesn't lie. 7/10

The Bodyguard is fundamentally a love story between two contrasting characters with their own idiosyncrasies. The plot is intriguing enough to carry the film through and the romance between Costner and Houston builds steadily and realistically.

With some decent action scenes, a decent cast and a great soundtrack, i found the Bodyguard to be an enjoyable movie.

Clearly this film is not for everyone, it doesn't have enough action to satisfy the action fans, it isn't thrilling enough to be a thriller and as a pure romance film it is fairly weak; but i have to admit it does balance between these 3 genres quite well without excelling in any one of them.

7/10

Despite a few dumb twists, The Bodyguard is a really good romantic drama. Kevin Costner is great in the lead role and Whitney Houston is really good in her debut role and they have good chemistry. It's well paced, well filmed and Mick Jackson's direction is good. The music by Alan Silvestri is really good and the soundtrack is excellent.

Why do people trash this movie? It's not high art but it's thoroughly entertaining. WH's performance in this movie is better than all her others...just watch the scene when she asks Frank Farmer to take her on a date. Natural, unaffected and charming. Kevin Costner underplays his role and I enjoyed watching him. I just bought the anniversary DVD and it has great backstage footage and very interesting tidbits. For example, it was Kevin Costner's idea, against a lot of protest, to have WH sing the first few bars of 'I will Always Love You' acapella. Smart man. And it is interesting to listen to the comments of Costner about this movie. He was a major star but he waited and held up production of this movie a year so he could get WH. He didn't want anyone else and was willing to wait for her. He refused to interject a story line that would 'explain' the Black/White thing (Bravo). And although Black/White pairings are fairly common now, THEN, for a major star to have a real black love interest ( and an untested actress at that) was a bold move. And it paid off. I don't know why he has not been as successful recently. The DVD interviews were done about 2 yrs ago and WH was still drug crazy (so no interviews with her) but Kevin Costner's last words in the interviews are about her and he said, among other things, that he would always love Whitney. Their chemistry was spot on. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THIS MOVIE.

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."

There was a time when there were no internet for me, no video and no satellite. I was a 19 y.o. boy, young and full of emotions. A naive young fellow knowing nothing about life and its twists. One day, while waiting at a bus station, I overheard two friends talking about a movie called 'The Bodyguard' and that how good that was, how they enjoyed it and how Withney Houston shone in it. Years passed, I lived my life, but I always had memory of that conversation in the back of my mind as if waiting for the right moment and opportunity to grab and watch that film. And opportunity it came one day with its video from a friend. I put the cassette in the player and started watching the anticipated movie with unbelievable excitement and happiness.

And the movie rolled over me like an avalanche...

That was a rollercoaster of emotions, chemistry, love, acting, music and one of the best and unique voices of the 20th century that I experienced.

That was one of the most beautiful and heartwarming movies that I have ever had the pleasure to watch.

Kevin Costner and Withney Houston were just diamond-like in it and outshone themselves in every aspect.

Tears are appearing in the corners of my eyes as I am writing this review. This is a review full of memories of my youth as well as the rainbow of true emotions that were conveyed by the eternally alive comet called The Bodyguard.

Withney, I've always loved you. No other singer has ever been like you and never will be. You had one of the most beautiful, powerful and mind-blowing voice of all time. All you needed was a microphone and the audience was in awe. We will always love you and cherish your dear memory.

RIP

After keeping the secret safe for 30 odd years I finally let it slip to my fiancée that I hadn't seen this.

So that ended up being my Sunday afternoon.

I am pleased to say that this is actually pretty good.

In some ways not an awful lot happens in this (like a lot of 90's movies) but the characters are engaging and the story is lean and holds it all together without getting too complicated.

I was surprised that there was some action, Kevin does a few roly-poly's through windows and there are some fisty-cuffs but this is mostly romance with a dash of suspense.

It is strange seeing something for the first time that is firmly ingrained into pop-culture.

After seeing poor old Whitney dragged out for public appearances in the last stages of her life it was startling to see her in her full, magnificent glory.

The "I will always love you" moment was ever-present in my mind like a shark circling a life raft.

But when it came it was still pretty impactful.

This has three special effects in it and two of them are really bad by todays standard - but mostly I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this and I think it stands up.

Bodyguard (1992)

Plot In A Paragraph: Frank Farmer (KC) a former Secret Service agent takes on the job of bodyguard to a singing superstar Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston)

Whilst I do not rate The Bodyguard as high as some people do. It is an enjoyable movie, I happen to have watched it a lot in recent years, and I always like it, but I can go years without feeling the need to revisit it.

It is hard to say what I don't like, as it's nothing in particular, I just find the directing a bit flat, and at times the actors are poorly framed. I remember I loved it when it was released, but by the time I watched it again on video, my opinion if it, had dropped considerably.

The soundtrack is very effective, all the new songs are catchy and for the second year in a row, the single to a KC movie dominates the charts. I knew the song I Will Always Love You from the Burt Reynolds/Dolly Parton movie The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. And whilst I still call it a Dolly Parton song, I know many call it a Whitney Houston one, and think of her version as the definitive one.

Of the cast, in her first movie Houston is very good. I'm surprised she didn't make more movies (she only made 4 more) as the talent was there. It's another less is more performance from KC, similar to his performance in The Untouchables, but it's still effective here, and he has some good, witty lines. All the supporting cast are fine too.

The film had to undergo some hasty re-cutting when test audiences hated the original ending with Farmer dying after saving Marron. I remember KC saying in an interview, that he didn't even understand the new ending to the movie.

Sadly for me the tacked on happier ending ruins things a bit!! As Farmer is clearly shot in the chest and gut at Oscars, but he turns up at the airport with his arm in a sling.

It was another $100 million plus grosser for KC as The Bodyguard finished the year the 7th highest grossing movie of 1992, with a domestic gross of $121 million.

8/10 for this reviewer.

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.

I have watched many action movies but this one makes one think: what happens next? This material could have been handled badly, but it comes out refined and elegant.

Both Whitney Hustoun and Kevin Costner stay true to their types, yet sharing a common purpose giving a spiritual dimension to the movie as observed by a commentator.

This is not a conventional romantic movie and that is why many are disappointed. It is a throwback to old concepts of chivalry and knighthood. The remarkable point to observe is that it is a modern story about an independent woman and her child.

This is a movie which feels good and genuine in the end.

Kevin Costner was right to insist that Whitney Houston costar in this film. All doubts were removed after she nailed the screen test the other producers insisted upon before they would agree.

This may have been her film debut, but she came across as extremely believable in her role. Yes, it was a bit hackneyed, especially with the addition of Ralph Waite as Costner's father, but it was still very enjoyable.

If you watch it for nothing else, the music was sensational. In fact, the soundtrack sold 100 million copies. It was that good. I Have Nothing and Run to You even got Oscar and Grammy nominations.

It's a very good film to sit back and enjoy just for Whitney's singing.

Whitney Houston became a movie star in this film, which offers a lot of insight into the level of talent and appeal she had some 20 years before her untimely death in 2012. Although this is not a musical per se (more of a romantic thriller), Houston plays a pop singer and performs, among other songs, her signature tune, "I Will Always Love You," which was written by country legend Dolly Parton. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

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 story of a superstar singer who falls in love with her bodyguard could have been a major disaster. I remember the previews and thinking it was going to be one. However once the film was out and I actually watched it I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a really good romance and a really good thriller. Of course its hokey and Hollywood and all of that but you get sucked in and carried along for its running time.

Trust me this is better than you think it is.

The only problem is that the film is a bit too long to do what it has to do. I think the problem is in the early part of the film where all of th e pieces are being set in motion, however once its all going its great.

Get some popcorn your honey and enjoy.

Two professionals of different kinds. One who has to cultivate an outgoing and accessible air because that's how she makes her living, and one who keeps his emotions in and tries wherever possible to stay in the background as part of his. Mutual attraction will place limits on both of their lives - if they manage to stay safe for long enough, that is...

Costner is well-suited to playing the stoic and intense action man, and casting Whitney Houston as a singer allows her a fairly comfortable start in the movies. They make an appealing enough couple and their chemistry together is of the simmering type. Some have criticised the leading female, but I believe her underplaying works well enough that we can glimpse a vulnerable dimension to her character.

The whole thing seems content to serve as a glossy potboiler for the shameless romantic - and help to shift millions of soundtrack units along the way, of course. It's something of an easy sell, I suppose, but I'm still left admiring how it's packaged. A triple handkerchief affair for some females, no doubt, but it's flashy enough in certain spots to be of moderate interest to the guys too. Cross-gender appeal is what Hollywood strives for, and they hit upon a smooth and stylish blend here.

Annoyingly stupid movie, meant to launch Whitney Houston's acting career and, apparently, Kevin Costner's fallback career as a model for terrible haircuts. Houston is, of course, gorgeous and sings like an angel, but her acting "talent" is nowhere to be seen, and her ineptness brings down the whole movie--not that it had a lot going for it in the first place. After Houston, playing a pop diva, starts getting death threats from an obsessed and obviously crazed fan, Costner--a former Secret Service agent--is hired to protect her. Instead of showing appreciation for his efforts to save the lives of her and her family, however, Houston proceeds to fight him at every turn, insulting him, mocking his attempts to turn her house into a secure area and generally making a complete ass of herself, and her attitude spreads to her entourage and hangers-on, all of whom turn on Costner. In the real world Costner's character would have told her to screw off after the first day and dumped her, but--in a plot "twist" you can see coming a mile away--they proceed to fall in love. Yeah, right.

Anyway, like I said, Houston is great to look at, her voice is divine, and Costner tries hard, but overall this movie is not much more than an extended episode of "General Hospital" or some other equally brainless soap opera, and is just as predictable and badly acted. Houston's fans will like it, Costner's fans might like it, but anyone else is strongly advised to avoid it.

Inter-racial relationships in a mainstream Hollywood film were rare back in 1992 and this was quite a revolutionary film, as it showed how normal it looked and not really questioned, and yet the poster of the time did a lot to underplay that. And Whitney Houston could really act, fragile and tough at the same time. I have reservations about Kevin Costner as an actor, but somehow he is right in this film and apparently wanted to act with Houston a lot. The plot is simple, but exciting to watch and the electricity between Costner and Huston is erotic, beautiful to see and the tender love scene with what looked like a samurai sword between them riveting to watch. Caught this on a UK channel. and it is rarely showed. A fine film that should be seen and shown on television more often in the UK than it is. I liked it back in 1992 and I like it even better now. A lot of details like the fund raising event for AIDS showed how exactly the film was aware of its time. Dramatic, tender and well worth re-evaluation.