My Bodyguard (1980)
One of the most enjoyable movies you'll ever watch, and a nostalgia vehicle for looking back into the pre-computer world which, despite the subject matter here, is still a golden age in its own way.
In addition to a superbly talented cast of older and more experienced actors and actresses, this film also contains some of the very earliest appearances ever of Matt Dillon, Adam Baldwin (“Jayne,” from the Firefly series), Joan Cusack, and Jennifer Beals (from Flashdance).
Grab a copy, or find it streaming, or watch it for free on Youtube right now.
Warning! Don’t watch the trailer or read reviews.
The trailer gives away the whole story, and even short reviews give away way too much of the plot. Here are a few safe extracts from Metacritic and RogerEbert.com:
“My Bodyguard is a fresh, pointed, unpretentious, funny and poignant picture that, like Breaking Away, is also about growing up. Director Tony Bill's claim for it, that "it isn't corny, it isn't violent, and it isn't trendy," is true and significant.” —Washington Post [15 Aug 1980, p.15]
This is a heartwarming film, superbly directed by ex-actor Tony Bill. Makepeace is excellent as the slight protagonist, and Baldwin is perfect as the brooding, misunderstood mammoth. Dave Grusin's score adds immeasurably to the tone.” --Staff, TV Guide Magazine
My Bodyguared is a sweet little movie about characters who really seem to be people, and that sort of verisimilitude is rarer than it ought to be nowadays. —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
And from RogerEbert.com, here are some safe extracts from a longer review:
There is a terrifying moment in adolescence when suddenly some of the kids are twice as big as the rest of the kids. It is terrifying for everybody: For the kids who are suddenly tall and gangling, and for the kids who are still small and are getting beat up all the time. My Bodyguard places that moment in a Chicago high school and gives us a kid who tries to think his way out of it.
[….]
“My Bodyguard” is a small treasure, a movie about believable characters in an unusual situation. …. [T]his movie is fun to watch because it touches memories that are shared by most of us, and because its young characters are recognizable individuals, and not simplified cartoon figures like so many movie teen-agers.
Useful links: