Plot: What’s it about?
Clifford Peach (Chris Makepeace) has just started his sophomore year of high school, but his new school is much different than the private school he used to attend. He has enough problems at home to deal with, but now even on his first back in the halls, he has gotten on the bad side of school bully Moody (Matt Dillon). All it took was a single barb to raise the bully’s ires and now Clifford has to meet him after school to discuss the issues. He tries to avoid him at every turn, but thanks to some henchman waiting for him, Clifford ends up taken into the boy’s bathroom, where Moody waits with baited breath. As the meeting moves ahead, Clifford learns that in order to remain safe and unharmed, he must fork over a dollar each day, as a protection payment. But Clifford wants to keep his lunch money, so he refuses and after a quick tussle, he escapes to the car waiting out front for him, so day one was survived. If he wants to remain alive however, Clifford needs to formulate a plan and while it seems dangerous, he has decided to approach the most feared student in school, Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin) to ask for some real protection.
As a fan of high school cinema, you can often overlook how dated a film is and with My Bodyguard, that’s a very good trait indeed. I’ve seen this film more than a few times and it is a fun, worthwhile watch, but man, it just reeks of late 1970s culture. The hair, the clothes, the lingo, it is all present and accounted for, but as I said before, it never lessens the fun. In truth, I think it adds to the entertainment value, as you’ll laugh a few times just based on those elements. The story is your basic underdog kind of theme, with a few nice twists to keep it fresh, but rest assured, you won’t find too many surprises with this picture. But of course, a good cast and some likable characters can overcome a limited storyline and in this case, that’s what happens. You’ll see very young Matt Dillon (Drugstore Cowboy) and Chris Makepeace (Meatballs) performances, as well as turns by Adam Baldwin (Full Metal Jacket), Martin Mull (FM), Joan Cusack (Sixteen Candles), and John Houseman (Scrooged).
Video: How does it look?
My Bodyguard is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. This movie has some years on it and it shows, due to a source print with a lot of grain and softness, though the image is not unwatchable. It does offset some of the other elements however, as colors seem a tad muted, contrast isn’t as sharp as it should be, and of course, detail is somewhat sparse. But all things considered, this is about as good as the film can look without a restoration treatment and since that isn’t going to happen anytime soon, this is the best home video edition in town.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic, but effective 2.0 surround option is used here and while it never gets to flex its muscle, it manages to keep up well enough. This is material driven by dialogue and as such, the audio is rather reserved and remains in the front channels, but that is not bad news, as the front channels are on the mark here. The music and sound effects come through well also, but due to the material involved, don’t expect miracles with this track. This disc also includes mono options in English & French, as well as English & Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a number of television spots, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
