User Reviews

Take probably the most beautiful pop singer of the past 30 years, give her a slew of obvious hits to be and a thrilling story, and you've got the makings of a smash movie. Give her probably the biggest movie hero of the past 30 years, and you've got the makings of the stuff that legendary screen romance is made of. They are Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and once you get past the feeling that this is a forced interracial romance, you can actually see how it progresses.

Her character of Rachel Maron is undoubtedly based on Houston herself, and once you get past what the press has said about her and see her safely away from the spotlight and just able to be herself, you really route for her. As she says about her reputation, it's only because of what's been said about her that she has become that way, and that's only when she feels she has no choice.

Also, being surrounded by a bunch of people that won't tell you no, it's difficult not to become a little spoiled. It's amazing to watch her character express her vulnerabilities, especially when Costner insists after a night together that he shouldn't have allowed it to happen. He's very concerned about the fact that there's possibly a psycho killer after her since a slew of pasted threatening letters have come to her attention.

It's rather a wistful experience seeing this again for the first time in many years because the emotions with the story and the facts of Houston's life can get in the way. But that wouldn't have mattered much had this not been a good movie and had Houston and Costner not had chemistry. You really get to see the goings on in the life of a superstar and the hassles of fame, her kindness to fans and how she treats her staff, which includes a her sister who gave up her own dreams and an adorable son whom Costner comes to adore. Ralph Waite is also memorable as Costner's father.

This has many classic moments and if it is an old fashioned type of movie, that makes it all the better. A great star of the cinema gets a very funny cameo in the Academy Award sequence which is filled with tension, as is a concert scene where she is accosted by the fans watching and Costner must go into action. He's perfectly quiet yet brave knowing all eyes are on her, and she really proves herself to have star quality as an actress as well as a singer. The soundtrack is still played today, and I can see it easily standing the test of time to where it will be played still in another 30 years.

I was interested to note from your "Trivia" page that it was originally intended to make this film in the seventies with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross in the leading roles, but that the film never got made because it was "too controversial". The cause of the controversy was presumably the mixed-race love-affair between Frank and Rachel, as there is little else in the script that might upset anyone. The story centres around Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent now working as a private bodyguard. He is hired by Rachel Marron, an African-American pop star, who has been receiving death threats, presumed to come from a mad stalker. Frank's obsessive concern with security initially alienates both Rachel and some of the other members of her entourage, but, after a number of misunderstandings, he becomes first her friend and then her lover. He, however, is unhappy about becoming emotionally involved with a client and ends the affair. He would also like to end his employment with Rachel, but she is becoming genuinely frightened for her own safety, and he agrees to stay on to protect her when it is clear that she is in danger from an unexpected source.

When I first saw this film in the cinema I disliked it. I was a great admirer of Kevin Costner's performance in "Dances with Wolves", and I went to see "The Bodyguard" in the hope that it would be a film of similar scope and vision. Of course, it isn't, but then it was never intended to be. Having seen it again recently on television, I was rather more impressed than I had been the first time. There is a respectable performance from Costner as Frank, a man who on the surface seems cold and detached but who hides his emotions under the surface- not only his love for Rachel, but also his feelings of guilt stemming from the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. Frank was not on duty at the time- in fact, he was attending his mother's funeral- but he cannot escape from the thought that, if he had been present, he could have prevented the President from being shot.

Whitney Houston is a beautiful woman, with a beautiful voice which was shown off to good advantage in this film. Her rendition of "I Will Always Love You" is one of the most haunting ballads I know, far superior to the Dolly Parton original. Her character is supposed to be an actress as well as a singer- the finale actually takes place as she receives a "Best Actress" award at the Oscars. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Whitney will ever emulate her alter ego in this respect, as her acting is certainly not in the same class as her voice. She seems to have too small an emotional range, and it is no surprise that her subsequent film career has been so patchy. "The Bodyguard" is a perfectly adequate thriller-romance, if at times too slow-moving, but I felt that it might have been better with a more commanding female lead. 6/10

This movie has been on my list to watch for years, I can say I'm glad I've watched it so I can remove it from my list and my memory... it is one of the most stupid movies I've ever seen.

Both the bodyguard and the hitman are possibly some of the worst professionals in their field in the movie.

One of the main character's sister hires an ex-bodyguard to kill her sister.

The hitman then rigs a boat to explode, not knowing who's going to be on the boat, and as a result giving away his presence to his target while they're hiding away. He then kills the sister for reasons unexplained and escapes. At this point he could easily have walked with the money without carrying out the murder as he's already been paid, and nobody would ever known who he was or have come looking for him.

But instead he sneaks into the oscars, reveals himself to the target's bodyguard (who in turn realises that he is actually the hitman after his client), and then proceeds to try kill her in front of everyone on purpose to create a scene in front of a large audience, with a laser pointing right at her head and clearly without an escape plan. It was like he wanted to get caught or shot and didn't care about escaping or keeping the money he would earn. If the whole point of this was personal, the movie never explains the motivation behind it at all.

Now the bodyguard.... firstly he sleeps with his client and then tells her he can't protect her if he's in a relationship with her. He allows her sister to be murdered (at which stage you would assume the main character would have either fired him or hired more bodyguards knowing her life was in serious danger) and then goes back to sleeping with the client even though he has already said he cannot properly protect her if he is doing so.

Also the scene where the bodyguard jumps into the boat and pushes the client's son out of the boat, nearly drowning him is one of the most comical and stupid scenes in the film, with no explanation given at all as to why he felt it was necessary to push the kid into the water knowing he can't swim.

The only reason this movie gets so much attention is because it has a great soundtrack, but that's the only thing this movie has going for it.

The movie started going wrong with Costner punching some random guy who was just sitting down. Even if he was upset, his character wouldn't do something like that, he'd just leave in a fit of rage or something. It makes more sense for him to abandon the person he's protecting, then realize his mistake and come back that way or something.

In general, the latter half of the movie is less inspired than the first half. I had guessed the sister was part of it somehow (but I did initially assume she'd be a diversion, not the actual funder), but the resolution of the that story arc is very weak. Also, in one scene he points a gun straight into the face of someone he's trying to protect for around a second. It's laughably bad.

The boat thing is terrible too, why would you assume the kid is that stupid that he can't operate the boat, he seems to handle himself, just tell him to chill and slow down, don't tackle him. Also, what kind of bomb could you hide on a boat like that. Also, why have a timer boat bomb when you can just shoot them with the element of surprise, they're sitting ducks already with no back up. And the kid, who in the first scene seems insightful and aware, never shows any of those traits through the rest of the movie. Also, the blind shooting thing is probably the stupidest thing in this movie. He's not a bat.

Also if someone writes death threats, you can arrest them and hold them in jail for more than 48 hours. C'mon. Also also, how can you bet someone you'll win an Oscar. If I make that bet, how do I lose? AND HOW DOES HE GIVE AWAY HIS RADIO WHEN TRYING TO FIND A WOULD BE ASSASSIN.

The writing went off the rails and lost all of it's important aspects. Super disappointing after the first half.

Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston star in this 1992 drama. Costner (The Untouchables) plays Frank Farmer, an ex-secret service agent who is hired to protect feisty, pop singer, Rachel Marron (Houston) who has an obsessed, crazed fan threatening her. After getting off to a rocky start, Frank and Rachel get romantically involved with each other in the process and he also gets to know her family too. This is a good romantic drama with a few suspenseful moments, Costner & Houston are great in it, had good chemistry with each other and who can forget Houston's hit song, "I Will Always Love You." Also, the late, Steve McQueen and Diana Ross were originally considered for the leads. I recommend this.

Critically ravaged action/mystery/romance has a cult following among viewers of little discernment, but it is difficult to see why. Stoic bodyguard Kevin Costner is hired to overhaul the security for pop star/actress Whitney Houston in light of some death threats. Naturally the two clash and then fall in love. Yawn.

The clunky screenplay had been growing mold around Hollywood since the days of Steve McQueen, who was the first star sought for the title role. Costner is oddly made up to resemble McQueen here. Costner's bodyguard, who is described as the best in the business, holds himself personally responsible as he was assigned to Reagan's detail but had a day off when the attempted assassination by Hinckley occurred. Thus ends the character development.

Naturally, since Houston is being threatened and Costner is there to make sure she remains out of harm's way, she will be cooperative...NOT. Truly there would be no movie if Houston's character reacted in any credible manner to anything that goes on around her. She talks tough to Costner in a few scenes and tries to order people around, but she reveals herself to be such a clueless ninny that she cannot even finesse an overly exuberant crowd during one of her concert shows - and she has purportedly been in the business for quite some time. In short, she exists solely to place herself in some form of conspired danger at every opportunity and then wilt.

Truthfully, the film is unsuccessful at whatever it tries its hand at. The mystery elements are half-hearted and even snoozing viewers will pinpoint the person behind the threats. Then again, Houston receives so many threats throughout the film - from audiences, from nuts, from people close to her - that it becomes difficult to keep track of who or what has her in their sights at any given moment.

The action scenes are a bust. Everything unfolds in such a plodding manner that even the most obvious and clumsy of scenes are related as though they are of monumental importance and dripping with relevance. Houston never seems to be seriously in any danger, the assassin seems almost foolishly clumsy, and there is zero sense of urgency to anything that unfolds.

The romance is deadly. To say that there is a lack of chemistry between Costner and Houston would be an understatement of colossal proportions. I can imagine frozen cadavers generating more heat. Costner is devoid of personality here and every line reading is flat. His pulse never seems to rise above resting. A bit of humor would have helped, but other than a mid-movie quip to an unwanted pass from a female partygoer, Costner remains a glum and uninvolving performer.

Houston is every bit his equal on this front. Playing a pop star diva/actress should not be much of a stretch for her, but the woman has no energy or life onscreen. Even her concert moments are lifeless. There is no warmth or excitement to her - even her attempts to be diva-esque are pitifully weak. The conclusion set at the Oscars is unintentionally hilarious because it is impossible to imagine Houston being seriously considered for any acting awards given her emotionless line readings herein. And listening to her relentlessly wail "I Will Always You Love," which quickly became grating after endless plays on the radio is no selling point either.

Costner and Houston are singularly bad, but casting them as a couple on which to hang a film their combined effect is a virtual primer on how never to cast a romance. They are the antithesis of chemistry.

So we have a romance populated by leads that have no chemistry, an action film with no action and a mystery with no surprises. To say this is a huge failure would be kind. It does not even have a camp element to make it unintentionally fun. In short, it honestly has nothing to recommend it.

The problem with this film is the total lack of chemistry between the two lead characters; or rather, between the actors who play them. That attraction is supposed to fuel the movie and drive it forward, but it's water in the gas tank; this clunker only rolls a few feet.

Whitney Houston is so talented and beautiful, but exudes no sex appeal. In that respect she is like Julie Andrews of old; very talented, lovely, but, as one critic wrote of Andrews, "Has all the sex appeal of a very efficient dietitian." I would rather have seen, oh...Halle Berry or some actress with real dynamism (and dubbed voice) getting mixed up with Kevin Costner.

Kevin Costner is a fine actor who was absolutely doing his best Steve McQueen impression. Women love to see a powerful, internally sensual man succumb to a woman so sensual or otherwise desirable that the poor guy's helpless. Costner is a powerful actor and few female actresses have that presence...Angelina Joli? Costner even was too powerful for Susan Sarandan in Bull Durham.

I agree that, second to the flat interaction of the main characters, the story made little sense. If Frank Farmer had such a fragile ego that he could not come to terms with a tragic event he had nothing to do with, he would not have been selected by the Secret Service in the first place.

And what was the plan with taking the entourage to the lake? Were they going to live there indefinitely? Papa Walton, by the way, was miscast as Frank's father. He seemed to be ready to break into a smile at any moment; or perhaps the corners of his mouth got caught on his dentures.

The sister and son were very good. I liked the acting ability of both; Fletcher was very subtle and sensitive in a film that wasn't.

The Oscar scenes were funny. Anyone who saw Naked Gun 33 1/3 keeps expecting Mary Lou Retton to come flipping and bouncing down the aisle. Rachel's (joking) reason for risking her life in attending was ludicrous...you gotta cheer when Frank's stoic chastity appropriately caved; if she was a Darwin award candidate, her days were numbered anyway, so why not?

Actually, I thought Whitney Houston's acting was fine; she downplayed the role, seemed rather shy, and perhaps if there were more chemistry with the male lead, she would have received less criticism. I would like to have seen Diana Ross and Steve McQueen; they were equally matched dynamic folks.

Oh well, there are worse movies. Just because this one lacked chemistry, motivation, and sense, doesn't make it half as bad as the remake of Lost Horizon...my overall standard of rotten films.

And hey, I thought Frank's haircut was sexy.

Houston, we don't have a problem. At least, not in 1992. In 1992, both Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston could do no, wrong. At the time, Kevin Costner was one of America's most accomplished thespians and Whitney Houston was one of the most popular singers. When you combine them, in the movie, 'the Bodyguard'. You get a semi-OK-masterpiece. This schmaltzy proposal for this film was rejected 67 times before Kevin Costner got the rights. It was originally written by Lawrence Kasdan for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross in the 1970s. Directed by Mick Jackson, the movie tells the story of Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), a former Secret Service Agent for the President, who became the private bodyguard for international pop star and actress, Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston) after she been, receiving death threats from a dangerous stalker. Can Frank save Rachel or will the killer win out in the end? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling too much of the film, I found Kevin Costner's acting in this, pretty dull. I know, that his character is supposed to be stern, but gees… they could have, lighten up, the character, a bit. Even, in the lake scenes. He was pretty blend. Despite, that, he made a pretty realistic bodyguard. He was also, a pretty cool, action star at the time. He deserve more credit for this movie, from stopping it from totally tanking with his action scenes. The scene where he was chasing the killer, through the woods was intense. Kevin Costner was so insistent that Whitney Houston and no other black singer/actress play the part that the film production waited 1 year for Whitney to be available to film. In my opinion, it was a good choice. She was a good singer, but not a good actress, even when seemingly playing a variation of herself. Whitney Houston as Rachel, was mediocre, at best. I give her some credit, for at least, trying to act. She did suffered a miscarriage during production and missed a couple of weeks of production recovering, and you can't tell, by her performance, how truly depress, she must have, been at the time. I just glad, Whitney Houston's character wasn't playing like a gimmicky black singer stereotype. Still, most of the movie, I felt that her character was a bit annoying. Even, test audiences, couldn't stand all, her b*tching as the film had to undergo some hasty re-cutting. Still, with those cuts, her character never truly understood, how much, she was in danger, even when, things became really serious and it bugs the living hell out of me. I know, she supposed to play a diva, but I didn't like, how much, Rachel and Frank fought against each other over, how much protection, she needs. It made the romance seem so unrealistic. I didn't think, that the actors have that much chemistry on film. Still, they both look, beautiful, together. One thing that I kinda love about the film, is how brave, the filmmakers were in showing interracial relationships. Even in the 1990s, seeing this was rare. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind, and never once, did I find the fact that a black woman and white guy falling in love, jarring. Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's advertising intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial relationship. I think, this was made to keep, the movie from being spoiled. The reason The Bodyguard scored more than $410 million worldwide is not, because of the two stars sex appeal. It's the film soundtrack, which to date, as of this writing, stands as the highest selling in movie history. It features six songs by Whitney Houston, including "Queen of the Night," a remake of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman," "I've Got Nothing," and, of course, her signature cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." Although her songs make up half of the soundtrack, she is credited for the album's popularity, which in turn drove people to see the film. Two songs from the film, "Run to You" and "I Have Nothing", were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. While, 'I will always love you' got her, multiply rewards and became one of the best-selling single by a woman in music history. The character of Rachel was originally going to sing "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" instead of "I Will Always Love You", before 1991's film, Fried Green Tomatoes used the former song. Kevin Costner is the one who wanted the song written by Dolly Parton to be sung by Whitney Houston. He convinced Whitney to sing it "a capella" for the movie. Whitney's rendition became so good, that Dolly Parton pretty much, disowned it and gave it to Whitney. Regardless of whether you're a Houston fan, her talent as a singer is what makes the movie halfway watchable. If this movie was made today, it might be an all-out-disaster. Both celebrities went into a shaky time in the late 1990s/early 2000s. While, Whitney Houston's career never really, bound-back, to the success of this film and its soundtrack. She did have some minor hits, before dying in 2012, in a drowning/drug overdose accident. Kevin Costner was able to have some success after his double whammy of post-apocalypse sci-fi flops movies in the mid-1990s, and his career is still going strong. In many ways, he always thought of this movie, as one of his greatest works, and always felt open in making a sequel or remaking it. Celebrities like Rihanna, and Princess Diana was once sought for re-dos. Who knows, if a sequel will be made? Overall: Yes, it could had been better, but I quite enjoyed the film. I do recommended, at least, seeing it, once. In the end, if you don't bother watching the film. At least, try to listen to the soundtrack. You'll probably enjoyed it.