Starring: Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon, Paul Quandt, Hank Salas Directed By: Tony Bill Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: 20th Century Fox Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: January 29, 2002 Running Time: 96 minutes Theatrical Release Date: September 26, 1980
Description: After years of being sheltered in private school, Clifford Peache (Chris Makepeace) finds life difficult at his new Chicago high school where a tough-talking bully (Matt Dillon) and his pals regularly extort students lunch money. Refusing to pay up, Peache hires a bodyguard-the intimidatingly large class misfit (Adam Baldwin) whose rumored violent behavior is legendary. Though everyone else is afraid of him, Peache strikes up a friendship with the troubled loner. Their deepening relationship and unified stand against the thugs manages to rouse the entire school.
Amazon.com: The son (Chris Makepeace) of a hotel manager (Martin Mull) finds himself the target of the school bully (Matt Dillon, in his breakthrough movie role). So he makes an offer to a school outcast--the biggest kid in class (Adam Baldwin), who reputedly has actually killed someone. He'll pay him to be his bodyguard against the bully. But the business arrangement turns into friendship, even as the smaller boy learns his new friend's secret shame. The first film by director-producer Tony Bill, this one comes down a little too heavily on the feel-good notes (and includes a gratingly precious appearance by Ruth Gordon in her lovable eccentric mode) but works because of strong performances by its young cast. --Marshall Fine
My Bodyguard, has aged well Along with a terrific cast this is a fun movie from the 1980s with decent clothes and music that doesn't age it badly. Backdrops are of Chicago and you see a couple scenes that Chicagoans will know like the loop, and the Picasso sculpture in the Civic Center Plaza. Several of the cast were kids then and have now grown including Makepeace, Baldwin, and Dillon. Be sure to keep an eye peeled for a young Jennifer Beals of "Flash Dance", not listed in the credits. This is a story about a new kid that is bullied for lunch money by a group of locals. In comes a very large and intimidating kid with stories of murder and mayhem that all the kids are afraid of but the new kid. He immediately approaches this large kid with a questionable past and ask him to be his bodyguard. It takes some convincing but he finally agrees. Don't miss this fun growing up movie. Good quality DVD with plenty of replayability. If you enjoyed this catch "Charlie Bartlett" and "The Karate Kid". - C. Luster
Great Move, Great Music I saw this movie at a great age, when everyone believes, or expects the good guys to win. And so they do. This is a tale of courage, friendship and fear. While peache learns the ropes of dealing with bullies and the consequences of "ratting" on them ricky deals with feelings of guilt and depression. Together they help eachother through the toughest times in their young lives. It would be a crime to talk about this movie and not mention the soundtrack. There is a beautiful theme that repeats often throughout the score. It seems to capture a youthful sense of hope that with our best efforts we can come through the worst of times and find a happy ending.
Very Good Movie I didn't care for this movie, the first time I saw it. I watched it a second time and I really liked it. Now I enjoy it every time I watch it. It is a good movie for teens.
Still Relative Although this movie is not current, it's message is. School bullying is not new but this story gives hope and inspiration! It was good for my 14 year old son to see, who often gets picked on at school.
Every Kid Should Watch This I can relate to Clifford Peache.
The only difference was I didn't grow up in urban Chicago and live at a 5 Star hotel. Actually, I didn't run around in junkyards either (although I liked to crawl through drainage pipes as a young lad).
'My Bodyguard' is a pretty simple story of a kid who is bullied at school. There's more to it, but that is your synopsis in a nutshell.
Every parent should make their kid watch this movie as just about every kid is, at one time or another, laughed at or picked on somewhere along the way when growing up. The difference being, most parents don't have the guts to tell their kids to stick up for themselves and beat the hell out of someone who makes them feel inferior in some sense.
Maybe you don't need to see the movie and just need to make your kids read my review. When someone is trying to act tough around you and bully you or one of your best friends, there are three simple steps to take:
1. Walk right up to them and get in their face and stare at them when you tell them to put up or shut up. I'd say a good eight inches from their face is a good distance. Most of these morons are just starving for attention and need to act a certain way to get that attention, so they'll balk at the suggestion anyway.
2. When they don't do anything but back pedal and stutter, you tell them if there's anymore b.s. coming from their mouths or if you hear any b.s. has continued when you're not around, you're going to punch them in the face.
3. Punch them in the face anyway. That's the problem with bullies, their parents obviously didn't do a very good job of raising them, so you need to do some parenting of your own. Nothing stops until you take action yourself and give them what they truly deserve.
Two punks in Junior High and 1 in high school got exactly what they deserved 16-17 years ago and Moody and Mike got what they deserved in the park at the end of this fantastic, realistic movie.
It makes you feel good when you do it. It makes you feel good when Clifford and Ricky do it. it makes you feel great knowing that the idiots you did it to are probably/will be doing community service by the time they reach 25 years old...if they can hang on that long.
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