My Bodyguard

Rating:
Summary: pure enjoyment!!!!
Review: Provides a good laugh, And gives hope to all of those people out there who are the regular victims of bullying.

Rating:
Summary: An adolescence tale that's true to life
Review: Sophomore Clifford Peache (Chris Makepeace) scarcely knows what to make of his new high school in Chicago, after having been sheltered for years in a private academy. The kid's life isn't bad: He lives in Chicago's Ambassador Hotel, is served his meals in the kitchen, and is waited on by the staff. His father (Martin Mull) is the manager, and his grandmother (Ruth Gordon) is always embarrassing his father by hitting on the guests. Clifford's peaceful existence ends when the school thug Moody (Matt Dillon) shakes him down for "protection money" from the school's "bad boy" Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin). Clifford cleverly skirts the issue by hiring Linderman to protect him from Moody. To their mutual surprise a friendship develops. Sure to bring back high school memories for everyone, whether you were a bully or a victim, or small for your age, or have been apprehensive about starting a new school.

Rating:
Summary: True Classic.
Review: Such a great film. This one came out around the same time as Ordinary People and both took place in and around Chicago. This film has a very funny and involving story and at times it is heartwrentching. Also look for a VERY early performance by Joan Cusack.

Rating:
Summary: " My Bodyguard Rules!"
Review: The story is basically about a boy named Clifford, who has just moved to a new school. Everything seems to be going well until he meets up with Moody and his gang, the school bullies. They arent just your typical gang of bullies the're a gang of extortionists, promising protection to those who pay them. When Clifford refuses, Moody gets angry and starts to bully Clifford. Then one day Clifford finds out about a boy his age named Ricky Linderman( about six feet three inches tall), who supposedly murdered his brother in cold blood. So naturally the entire school, including Moody and the gang fear him. One day Clifford offers to pay Ricky money to protect him from Moody, Ricky turns him down because he doesn't want to get involved. However this does not stop Clifford who proceeds to follow him home one day, the two form a close friendship and Ricky protects Clifford and the other kids from Moody and his extortion. And for awhile all seems to be going well until..... watch and see!

Rating:
Summary: My Bodygaurd is a classic!
Review: This happens to be one of my favorite movies. Chris Makepeace and Matt Dillion does an outstanding job, they are such good actors. I mean if you hadn't seen this movie yet and if you buy it you will love it. It's that kind of movie that you want to watch over and over again and never get tired of it. I recommened that if you hadn't seen this movie yet, RENT IT! It's a great movie!

Rating:
Summary: Teach that Bully a Lesson
Review: This is a highly underrated little film about school bullying. Chris Makepeace needs protection from Matt Dillon, the school bully. He gets unlikely help. However, will Dillon actually get his comeuppance? Surprising events follow. One-time actor Tony Bill intuitively directs this effective and memorable movie.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific film
Review: This is a terrific movie. The plot concerns a boy named Clifford (Chris Makepeace) who's new to a Chicago high school. He quickly becomes the target of Moody, the school bully (Matt Dillon). Rather than put up with Moody and his friends, Clifford gets Linderman (Adam Baldwin) to be his bodyguard. Everyone at the school is terrified of Linderman, but he and Clifford become close friends. There are also a few scenes with Martin Mull as Clifford's father, a hotel manager, and Ruth Gordon as his grandmother. It's a very sweet film with superb performances from all the actors. I would recommend it to just about anyone, although there is a little bit of swearing and some mild violence. Overall, though, it's a great film.

Rating:
Summary: Good little film!
Review: This movie featuring Chris Makepiece and Joan Cusack was one of the better coming-of-age films in the seventies. Matt Dillon was excellent as the school bully. Plenty of action and drama and it doesn't suffer too much as being dated. Definitely worth owning! Good for the whole family to watch.



Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Fluff
Review: This movie has its moments. It's slackly filmed (was the director himself still in high school?), but it's saved by the performances. Baldwin makes a good, smoldering troglydite. Dillon's a convincing bully, until that ridiculous fight at the end. The skinhead is amusing. (I like the weirdly marbled scalp). But there are many tedious patches--such as all the scenes at that damned quirky hotel. Listen, you folks who call Makepeace's character a "wimp": you have to admit he has cojones, no matter what he looks like. He's not helped by the awful music--seems the composer thought he was scoring a Shirley Temple movie, or else a bit of French whimsy about magic butterflies or balloons--it's hard to look manly while being chased for two hours by a simpering, prancing strings section... Also, what's the message of this movie: that the only defense against bullies is to best them hand-to-hand, and then their threat disappears? (As if bullies fight by the Queensbury rules). I'm still waiting for a film about the other kind of bully, the smart kind, whose weapons are psychology and a first-hand knowledge of what really hurts--as in Stanley Elkins' story "A Poetics for Bullies". That might have some complexity. As for the viewer who claims that story-lines way back twenty years ago were more "simplistic"... you need to stop watching "The Matrix".

Rating:
Summary: The Last High School Movie of its Time!
Review: This movie is a classic of the early 80s. It gives people a view of rough high school life in an urban area before the introduction of metal detectors and political correctness. The characters are the tough guys you remember in school. They were mean and rough but did not carry guns, did not have body piercing, and did not plan to kill their classmates. Definitely a movie that should be considered the last of its kind and anyone that grew up in this period should add it to their collection.

Also, I was fortunate enough to grow up three blocks from the high school where this movie was filmed and actually watched them film it. This Chicago neighborhood has changed quite a bit in twenty years. It went from being a blue collar neighborhood to a haven for yuppies. It is a safer neighborhood and quite a bit more expensive, but has lost all its character. Beware of gentrification; it is not good for everyone!