The Bodyguard is a movie with many flows and one redeeming factor: the WH factor. People went to see this picture because they wanted to see Whitney singing and she delivered some of her most passionate vocal performances before the mesmerised eyes of her millions of fans on the big screen. Let's face it, who wants to see her acting when she can sing so beautifully?
The unrelenting criticism by couch 'drama experts' of her acting seems a tad over the top. She never claimed to be an actress and despite this being her film debut, she did not disgrace herself. She did the best she could with what she was given: a patchy character with very little to say. What else could she do to play this role? Well, just what she did, sing her heart out.
The best thing that Kevin Costner did was to insist that Whitney was the only one he wanted for this part. He knew he had a winner, but he also tried to do too much with the story: a romantic thriller with patches of 'comedy', a study in professional-personal conflict and 'who done it' thrown in. That's the reason for the plot's erratic turns and the non existent character development. The glue that holds the whole mess together is Whitney, the singer, looking stunning and sounding like an angel.
This could have been a gigantic flop and instead it was a massive hit. It will remain a phenomenon in popular culture because it delivered what the vast majority of its audience wanted: escapism, a couple of hours away from their own reality and a look inside the glamorous life of a superstar. They were entertained by a great pop singer, who had made a huge video clip for her songs and they did not mind paying for the privilege. Those who hate The Bodyguard, went to see it with some unrealistic expectations of 'serious cinema and acting'?! Hey, go to see foreign movies with subtitles for that and come down from your pretentious cloud.
