MY BODYGUARD
(Feature) 1979, 92 Minutes
STARRING
CHRIS MAKEPEACE, ADAM BALDWIN, MATT DILLON, RUTH GORDON, MARTIN MULL
WRITTEN BY ALAN ORMSBY, TIM KAZURINSKY and DENISE DeCLUE
DIRECTED BY TONY BILL
CHARACTER:
RICKY LINDERMAN
CHARACTERS STORY:
RICKY IS THE KID THAT EVERYONE IS AFFRAID OF IN HIGH SCHOOL DUE TO RUMOURS THAT HE HAD KILLED A MAN, BUT HE KEEPS HIMSELF TO HIMSELF AND NEVER BOTHERS ANYONE - UNTIL THE MAIN CHARACTER PROPOSES AN ALLIANCE WITH LINDERMAN AGAINST THE EVER WORSENING BULLIES. OVER TIME THEY FORM A FRIENDSHIP AND RICKY FINDS OUT THAT HE NEEDS A FRIEND JUST AS MUCH AS HE IS NEEDED AS A BODYGUARD.
THE FILM:
THE COMIC ADVENTURES OF A NEW STUDENT AT A HIGH SCHOOL CONTROLLED BY A TEENAGE GANG. THEIR LEADER IS A WICKEDLY FUNNY TOUGH GUY - THE KIND OF "PUNK" YOU'LL LOVE TO HATE! FROM HOLDUPS IN THE HALLWAYS TO BEATINGS IN THE BATHROOMS, THIS NEWCOMER BECOMES THE GANG'S LATEST VICTIM. DEVISING AN INGENIOUS BUT RISKY SCHEME TO DEFEND HIMSELF, HE HIRES A BODYGUARD - A SINISTER STUDENT WHO NEVER TALKS BUT HAS A FRIGHTENING REPUTATION FOR VIOLENCE. WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY RUTH GORDON AND MARTIN MULL, PLUS AN UNFORGETTABLE FIGHT SCENE, THIS ONE'S TOUCHING - AND VERY FUNNY.
THE REVIEWS:
REVIEW FROM VARIETY:
"In his directorial debut, Tony Bill assembles a truly remarkable cast of youngsters with little or no previous acting experience.
Chris Makepeace is superb as the slightly built kid coming anew to a Chicago high school dominated by extortionist gang leader Matt Dillon, also terrific in his part.
Adam Baldwin is a standoffish, uncommunicative brute rumored throughout the school to be a psychotic weirdo who has killed cops and other kids. Dillon and gang use the rumors to demand payment from smaller fellows for 'protection' from Baldwin.
But Makepeace will not pay up and takes his lumps until befriended by Baldwin, thereby beginning a warm friendship that leads to surprising turns in the plot.
Technically, picture sometimes shows the threads of low-budget shooting, but the distractions are minor."
LEAFANS REVIEW:
I LOVE THIS MOVIE, IT TAKES ME BACK TO A TIME WHEN THE CHARACTERS WERE RELATABLE AND THE MUSIC DREAMY, A TIME WHEN LOSS OF INNOCENCE WASN'T A FORGONE CONCLUSION. THE FILM LEAVES YOU FEELING AS IF YOU HAD SEEN IT MANY TIMES BEFORE, WITH EACH SCENE BRINGING MEMORIES FLOODING BACK AND YET CREATING NEW ONE'S AT THE SAME TIME. WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE FROM ADAM BALDWIN IN HIS FIRST EVER ROLE, AND ANOTHER CONSISTANTLY GREAT APPEARANCE BY RUTH GORDON - MY BODYGUARD IS A HEART-WARMING TALE OF CRUSHED STEREO-TYPES AND NEW FRIENDSHIPS. A NEW SLOT WAS FILLED IN MY TOP 10 MOVIES EVER LIST.
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS:
FILMING LOCATIONS:
CHICAGO, IL.
GENERAL FACTS AND STUFF THAT DOESNT FIT ANYWHERE ELSE:
FEATURING THE SCREEN-DEBUT OF NOW FAMOUS WRITER/PRODUCER DEAN DEVLIN, WHO APPEARS IN A SMALL ROLE FOR THE FILM HIS FATHER DON DEVLIN PRODUCED. THIS WAS ALSO TO BE THE FIRST OF MANY TIMES DEAN DEVLIN AND ADAM BALDWIN WOULD WORK TOGETHER.
RELATED LINKS:
RELATED MERCHANDISE:
DVD AT AMAZON.COM
VHS AT AMAZON.COM