My Bodyguard (1980)

When a boy comes to a new school and gets harassed by a bully, he acquires the services of the school's most feared kid as a bodyguard.

Director:

Tony Bill

Writer:

Alan Ormsby

Stars:

Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Makepeace	...	Clifford
Adam Baldwin	...	Linderman
Matt Dillon	...	Moody
Paul Quandt	...	Carson
Hank Salas	...	Mike
Joan Cusack	...	Shelley
Dean R. Miller	...	Hightower
Tim Reyna	...	Koontz
Richard Bradley	...	Dubrow
Denise Baske	...	Leilani
Vicky Nelson	...	Freddy
Tom Rielly	...	Reissman
Paul Charbonneau	...	Allen
Laura Salenger	...	Girl
Bert Hoddinott	...	Burt

Storyline

Clifford Peache is the new kid in Lake View High School. Faced with all the stress that role entails he makes his situation worse by insulting Moody, the leader of a group of toughs who extort lunch money from kids. These punks pretend to be bodyguards for the kids to protect them from Linderman who, it is rumored, killed his brother in cold blood. Clifford befriends the sullen Linderman and hires him as his bodyguard. When Moody ups the ante, Linderman must decide whether fighting for what he believes in, with his haunted past and image, is justified.

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Plot Keywords:

bicycle | bodyguard | high school | bully | bullying | 

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Taglines:

I'm tired of being terrorized in the toilets, chased after school, and shaken down for my lunch money. Will you be my bodyguard?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bodyguard

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$178,641, 13 July 1980, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$22,482,952

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Market Street Productions, Melvin Simon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adam Baldwin - who plays the reluctant hero, Ricky Linderman - has a brief cameo in another movie, Drillbit Taylor (2008), which is a comedic version of the whole bodyguard genre. He is seen wearing the exact same outfit from the original classic movie, and scolds the boys who are interviewing him, with a completely ironic line, "Kids hiring a bodyguard, to take care of a bully? Stupidest thing I ever heard!"

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Goofs

Shelley is shown without a necklace in the restaurant, but wearing a silver necklace in the junkyard.

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Quotes

Ms. Jump: Welcome to your sophomore year.

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Connections

Referenced in Lean on Me (1989)

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Soundtracks

She's a Latin from Manhattan
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Sung by Ruth Gordon in the hotel kitchen

User Reviews

A Lasting Impression

In his debut performance, Adam Baldwin does a wonderful job portraying the alienated Ricky Linderman, who is seen as a hulking, violent "psychopath" by most of his peers. Baldwin's acting abilities are impressive and he touches the heart of the viewer by showing us Ricky's emotions.

Ruth Gordon is a joy to watch as Clifford's Gramma Peache. Her character adds the touch of humor that is needed to balance the heavy subjects addressed in this piece of work.

I am slightly disappointed with the editing; they appear to be going for dramatic pauses that don't work well and slow the pace of the scenes at times. However, I'm willing to live with that for the opportunity to see this wonderful story, which after 24 years still rings true to the reality of the cutthroat world of high school.