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 | juvenile delinquency | bodyguard | blood | high school | 

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Taglines:

Terrorized in the toilets? Chased after school? Shaken down for your lunch money? GET A BODYGUARD!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Feature film debut of Adam Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Jennifer Beals (uncredited), Dean Devlin and Paul Quandt.

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Goofs

At c. 35 minutes the string quintet is clearly not playing the Mozart heard in the soundtrack. In any case, the piece (Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik) is written for four string parts and not five.

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Quotes

Melvin Moody: Hey, Shelly. Do you want to go to the movies?
Shelley: Sure.
Melvin Moody: Okay, have a good time while you're there.

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Connections

Featured in Vintage Video: My Bodyguard (1980) (2020)

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Soundtracks

Serenade for Strings in G Major, K. 525 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik)
(uncredited)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Played by the kids in the music class in the gym

User Reviews

Positive, enjoyable film

I recently saw this movie again and I was surprised at how well it holds up. The story isn't dated, the situations are universal and current and the acting is fine. The plots are believable, interesting and satisfying. For a sleeper of a film in 1980, it stands out as 1 of the better teen genre pieces that flooded the theaters in the 80's. The ending is a bit sappy, but it still doesn't detract from a very sweet story with characters you can actually cheer for (except, of course for Moody and Mike, but it was fun booing them as well).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Bodyguard

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$178,641, 13 July 1980

Gross USA:

$22,482,952

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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