The Bodyguard
Encyclopedia
The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...

-thriller film starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

 and Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

. Costner stars as a former Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

 Agent turned bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...

 who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Edward "Larry" Kasdan is an American film producer, director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Kasdan was born in Miami, Florida, the son of Sylvia Sarah , an employment counselor, and Clarence Norman Kasdan, who managed retail electronics stores.His Brother is the writer/producer Mark...

 wrote the film in the 1970s, originally as a vehicle for Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...

 and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

. It was directed by Mick Jackson
Mick Jackson (film director)
Mick Jackson is a British television and film director, television producer and author. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for Temple Grandin .-Selected filmography:...

. This film was the acting debut of the Grammy-winning R&B singer, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

.

Plot

Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

) is an Oscar-nominated music superstar who is being stalked and sent death threats. Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

), a former Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...

 agent during Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

's presidency-turned professional bodyguard, is hired to protect her.

The film follows Rachel's life through her career and family. Performances include her singing hits such as "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...

" and "I Have Nothing
I Have Nothing
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston and released as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album on February 20, 1993 by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster...

". Frank successfully protects her from danger and as a result of his protection, Rachel falls in love with Frank. He initially tries to keep the relationship professional, but the two sleep together. However, recognizing that their relationship may compromise his protection of her, Frank breaks off their affair. Hurt, Rachel begins to push Frank's buttons by violating the routines he put in place, and attempting to sleep with his former Secret Service co-worker, Greg. After finally personally experiencing contact with her stalker via a creepy phone call, Rachel realizes that she must put her trust in Frank ahead of her own desire for success. She finally recognizes the seriousness of the situation and cancels the rest of her tour.

Frank, Rachel, Rachel's driver Henry (Christopher Birt), son Fletcher (DeVaughn Nixon), and sister Nikki (Michele Lamar Richards) then flee to an isolated cabin owned by Frank's father, Herb. At the cabin, Nikki attempts to seduce Frank, and becomes angry when her advances are refused. Fletcher is almost killed the next day when a bomb explodes inside the boat he had been riding in moments before. After finding footprints around the cabin, they realize the person after Rachel has followed them. They bunker down in the cabin for the night, with plans to leave in the morning. It is then revealed that Rachel's obsessive stalker and the person trying to kill her are not the same person when an upset and drunken Nikki admits that in a drug-induced jealous fit she had hired a hitman to kill Rachel. After Fletcher was almost killed earlier that day, Nikki realized the hitman she had hired would kill anyone to get to his target, including her nephew that she loves like her own son, but she cannot call it off because she does not know the identity of the killer. When said hit man breaks into the house and Nikki tries to stop him, he shoots and kills her before escaping. At the Oscars after Nikki's murder, the killer tries to assassinate Rachel again with a gun hidden inside of a camera, when she accepts her award for Best Actress. Frank jumps in front of her to save her life, and is shot himself. Frank manages to kill the hitman who turns out to be his friend and former Secret Service coworker Greg Portman (Tomas Arana
Tomas Arana
-Life and career:Arana was born in Auburn, California. He grew up in San Francisco and studied classical theatre at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater and at the City College of San Francisco. Afterwards he relocated to New York and acted in off-Broadway productions...

) before losing consciousness.

In the end, Tony loses an eye during the melee, having had it gouged out by Portman, but both he and Frank survive their injuries. Frank's duty having been fulfilled by successfully protecting Rachel, they part with a kiss. Frank then moves on to his next assignment, guarding the Reverend Philip Hardy with the First Presbyterian Church of Iowa Rapids.

Cast

  • Kevin Costner
    Kevin Costner
    Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

     as Frank Farmer
  • Whitney Houston
    Whitney Houston
    Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

     as Rachel Marron
  • Gary Kemp
    Gary Kemp
    Gary Kemp is an English pop musician and actor who is the guitar player and chief songwriter for the 1980s Synthpop band Spandau Ballet. His brother, Martin Kemp, plays bass guitar in the band...

     as Sy Spector
  • Bill Cobbs
    Bill Cobbs
    Wilbert "Bill" Cobbs is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 120 television programs and movies.-Life and career:...

     as Bill Devaney
  • Ralph Waite
    Ralph Waite
    Ralph Waite is an American actor, whose most notable role was playing John Walton Sr. on the 1970s CBS TV series The Waltons, which he also occasionally directed...

     as Herb Farmer
  • Tomas Arana
    Tomas Arana
    -Life and career:Arana was born in Auburn, California. He grew up in San Francisco and studied classical theatre at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater and at the City College of San Francisco. Afterwards he relocated to New York and acted in off-Broadway productions...

     as Greg Portman
  • Debbie Reynolds
    Debbie Reynolds
    Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...

     as herself
  • Richard Schiff
    Richard Schiff
    Richard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...

     as Skip Thomas
  • Christopher Birt as Henry
  • DeVaughn Nixon as Fletcher Marron
  • Michele Lamar Richard as Nikki
  • Nathaniel Parker
    Nathaniel Parker
    Nathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for playing Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.-Personal life:...

     as Clive Healy
  • Mike Starr
    Mike Starr (actor)
    Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....

     as Tony
  • Rollin Jarrett
    Rollin Jarrett
    Rollin Jarrett is an American actor and screenwriter.-Early life:Jarrett was born in Charlotte, NC, the youngest of four brothers. His family moved to Miami, Florida when he was three and later settled in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where Jarrett attended Fort Lauderdale High School...

     as Miami reporter

Background

Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Edward "Larry" Kasdan is an American film producer, director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Kasdan was born in Miami, Florida, the son of Sylvia Sarah , an employment counselor, and Clarence Norman Kasdan, who managed retail electronics stores.His Brother is the writer/producer Mark...

's first screenplay, the film was originally proposed in 1976 with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

 in the leads, but negotiations fell through as McQueen refused to be billed second to Ross. It was proposed again in 1979, starring Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal
Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...

 and Ross again in the leads. The project fell through due to irreconcilable differences in the relationship of the two stars. Costner stated that he based Frank Farmer on Steve McQueen; even cutting his hair like McQueen (who had died 12 years earlier).

Fellow singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 was considered for the role of Rachel.

According to an interview with the BBC, Costner confirmed he had discussed a film role for Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...

 shortly before her death in 1997. Costner had planned to show the film to Princess Diana due to her interest in seeing it. "I had talked with Princess Di a couple of times," said Costner. "I explained to her that I was going to try to make this movie for her and she was genuinely interested." Costner went on to say "We talked on the phone and she never committed to saying that she would do the film, but I said that when I was done with this movie, that I was going to show it to her and she was genuinely excited to see it."

Critical reception

The Bodyguard has received mixed reviews. The film holds a 39% rating on the film aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...

, and received six Golden Raspberry Award nominations, including Worst Picture. Owen Gleibermann, of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

negatively reviewed the film, stating, "To say that Houston and Costner fail to strike sparks would be putting it mildly." He added, "[...] the movie gives us these two self-contained celebrity icons working hard to look as if they want each other. It's like watching two statues attempting to mate." However, other critics praised the film, such as Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...

, who gave the film three out of four stars, remarking "The movie does contain a love story, but it's the kind of guarded passion that grows between two people who spend a lot of time keeping their priorities straight."

Two songs from the film, "Run to You" and "I Have Nothing
I Have Nothing
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston and released as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album on February 20, 1993 by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster...

", were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. The film was also nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning three, including Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...

 for its soundtrack album of the same name.

Box office

In the United States, The Bodyguard opened on November 25, 1992 in 1,717 theaters; it grossed $16.6 million in its opening weekend, ranking third. The film was in theaters for thirteen non-consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing $121.9 million domestically, and $410.9 million worldwide. It was the seventh highest-grossing film of 1992 in North America, and the second highest-grossing film of 1992, worldwide. At the time, the film became one of the 100 all-time highest grossing films worldwide, though it has since fallen out.

Soundtrack

The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album became the best-selling soundtrack of all time. It has been certified diamond in the US (sales of at least ten million) with shipments of over 17 million copies. Worldwide, the sales are at a staggering 45 million copies. In addition, Houston's "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...

" sold 12 million units worldwide.

The soundtrack features five hit singles for Houston: "I Will Always Love You", "I'm Every Woman", "Queen of the Night", and two Oscar nominated songs "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You".

Parodies

  • The Simpsons
    The Simpsons
    The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

    – in the episode "Mayored to the Mob
    Mayored to the Mob
    "Mayored to the Mob" is the ninth episode of The Simpsons tenth season, which originally broadcast on December 20, 1998. After Homer prevents Mayor Quimby and Mark Hamill from being trampled at a convention, Homer trains to become a bodyguard and is employed by Quimby...

    ", Homer Simpson
    Homer Simpson
    Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

     receives bodyguard training from an instructor singing "I Will Always Love You'" after graduating his class. Also in the episode, Mark Hamill
    Mark Hamill
    Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...

     gets carried by Homer in a fashion which parodies the way Costner carries Houston in the film.
  • 30 Rock
    30 Rock
    30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...

    – in the episode "Hard Ball
    Hard Ball
    "Hard Ball" is the fifteenth episode of NBC's first season of 30 Rock. It was written by one of the season's co-producers, Matt Hubbard, and directed by one of the season's supervising producers, Don Scardino. It aired on February 22, 2007 in the United States...

    ", Tracy Jordan
    Tracy Jordan
    Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...

     is rescued from a mob by his entourage; his character sang "I Will Always Love You" during the scene.
  • Bulletproof
    Bulletproof (1996 film)
    Bulletproof is a 1996 American action-comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson, and starring Damon Wayans, James Caan and Jeep Swenson.-Plot:...

    – a scene in the film parodies The Bodyguard with Adam Sandler
    Adam Sandler
    Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...

    's character singing "I Will Always Love You" and remarking that Damon Wayans
    Damon Wayans
    Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...

    's character can always be his bodyguard.

Remake

In 2011, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

 announced a remake that will update the story to reflect the world of the Internet; in which sites such as Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

, Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...

 and countless other sites makes access to celebrities easier than ever. The remake will be penned by Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer, with singer Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

 being tipped to play the role of Rachel Marron, though this is yet to be confirmed.

On 10 March 2011, Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

 ruled out playing the part saying "Absolutely not. I hate it when singers do singing movies all the time, because you can never look at them as anybody else. I want to play a character, my whole life is playing Rihanna, being a singer won't be a stretch for me."

Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

 and Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...

are rumored to be in the running.
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