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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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The Bodyguard (Special Edition)
I still love this movie no matter how many times I watch it. However on the QUALITY of this dvd; I am a bit dissapointed - it froze on a particular sceen - that one where Whitney Houston performed on stage in front of a rowdy crowd. The scene kept on freezing no matter what I did. I had to skip the entire scene to finish the rest of the movie.
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Whitney's Dubious Dramatic Debut
Fans of Whitney Houston will certainly enjoy this movie. It captures her at close to her career peak and features a few of her better known hits (including her version of "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing"). Neither she nor co-star Kevin Costner fare as well on the acting end. Since Houston later proved to be effective in WAITING TO EXHALE, I would guess that she either suffered from first film jitters or that she needed better direction--or both. The script is generally weak and the dialogue is stilted, and there are moments when the line readings are so off, you almost wonder if the stars' first language is something other than English. And if the mark of a good director is the ability to coax a credible performance from a child actor, then Mick Jackson's abilities could be questioned on that basis alone: the young actor playing Whitney's son is stiff and awkward. But given his "mom's" stilted line readings, it could be viewed as some kind of genetic condition.
Amazon reviewer Jeff Shannon above jokes that Whitney's role as a show biz diva must have be a real "stretch" is clever. But it's just possible that Whitney might have fared better with a role that was less close to her own life experience. Getting out of high show biz mode seemed to help her performance a few years later in EXHALE, although it could also be the case that she was simply a bit more comfortable onscreen by that time.
The supporting cast is also just OK, for the most part, although many have done better work elsewhere, so you do know they can act. Ralph Waite, as the Costner's dad doesn't have a lot to do, but he brings a certain gravitas to his small role. Probably the only performer who gets to shine in a real emotive moment is Michele Lamar Richards who plays Whitney's sister and manager. Even that moment may strike some as a bit overdone, but at least you know that this is an actress who can summon real tears when they're needed.
It's very easy to come away from a movie like the BODYGUARD feeling like you've been manipulated, but actually, it would have been naive to expect much else. Hollywood movies about Hollywood life have an odd tension in them. On the one hand, they can poke a few jabs at the superficiality and the glitz of So. Cal. "culture," on the other hand they assume that the dream factory really is the object of fascination (and dreams) of their audience. And maybe they're right to an extent. But watching this movie some 15 years on, I couldn't help flashing on some of Ms Houston's subsequent career set backs and thining that this '92 film really is a sort of (inadvertant) indictment of show a biz culture that spoils and corrupts its "players" no matter how talented they are and, rather than fostering the creative process, actually works AGAINST it.
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WHITNEY WHEN SHE WAS A SUPERSTAR
The Bodyguard (Special Edition)
Highly entertaining musical crime drama. Whitney's songs, including a few super hits like "I Will Always Love You" are terrific. Whitney in ultra hot costumes and Kevin Kostner with short hair and a buff body both look great. Kevin and Whitney are sizzling with electric chemistry. Highly engrossing finale with a psycho murderer trying to kill Whitney at the Oscars. THIS IS A MUST OWN CLASSIC.
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You'll watch it over and over
This was Whitney Houston's debut film and she did herself proud. And here's the thing about Kevin Costner--he plays his characters so naturally that you don't realize he's really a brilliant actor. He just seems like a normal guy on screen. Here, you just believe he is that troubled bodyguard. I loved this film. I saw it plenty at the theatre in 1992 and I've played it plenty on both VHS and DVD over the years. It's just a great chick flick--so many great scenes even in addition to the many vocal performances by Whitney. If you like a who-done-it film, amazing music, watching Kevin Costner, as well as just the right mix of romance and damsel in distress, you've got to get The Bodyguard (and get the sound track while you're at it).The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album
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The Bodyguard
I found this movie to be very entertaining. Kevin was good and believable and Whitney was refreshing.
