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Actors: Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about My Bodyguard |
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Clifford Peache (Makepeace) is the new kid in the tough Chicago high school of Lake View. Melvin Moody (Dillon) and his gang pretty much rule the roost by extorting lunch money from weaker kids, partly under the guise of "protecting" them from the most fearsome kid in the school -- huge, brooding Ricky Linderman (Baldwin), who doesn't seem to bother anyone but is rumored to have killed his brother in cold blood. Clifford gradually befriends Ricky and hires him to be a bodyguard against Moody's gang of bullies. But Moody presses the issue, and both Clifford and Ricky have to decide whether it's worth shoving back and risking their respective safety and reputation. This 1980 sleeper is an oddly sweet and honest tale, given its rough subject (though the ending is of course foreordained and a mite oversweet). There are some terrific cameos: Ruth Gordon as Gramma Peache, Martin Mull as Clifford's father, John Houseman, 18-year-old Joan Cusack (with braces!), and an uncredited Jennifer Beals as an extra/friend of Clifford's. Director Tony Bill made his debut here; he and writer Alan Orsmby have mostly worked in TV since, which is a shame. This is a fine character study, not a cheap teen comedy, that is worth checking out.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of My Bodyguard |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- general coming of age story
Age group
- trouble in high school
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Body type
- (man) muscular
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- a teen
Profession/status:
- student
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 80%
Body type
- (man) muscular
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- bulging muscles
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
City?
Yes
City:
- dangerous
- Chicago
Misc setting
- school
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- encouraged
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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