Watch it to remember Whitney

Rating: 6/10 (20 December 2014)

I vividly remember the stranglehold Whitney Houston had on the closing months of 1992 because of THE BODYGUARD, but I didn't remember much about the actual movie. I wasn't expecting much, and I guess that's why it exceeded expectations
. . . but only just.
Whitney for the most part fits what the role requires: stuck-up, naturally über-talented; she doesn't need much range. This whole thing rests on the shoulders of whoever's playing her protector. And Costner's decent here; he gets to flex his action movie muscle with a sweet dive through a window into a crouch, although he's frequently got that anxious trying-to-remember-my-next-line look on his face (unusual for him). He's got a ridiculous character name - but also drives an El Camino. The man is complicated.
But on the whole, the movie never rises above mediocrity. It's a love story without passion and the tension doesn't come until the last ten minutes of the movie (which it really needed much earlier). But I also didn't feel like quitting before the credits rolled, which kinda surprised me. I can see why it was the IT movie of its time (it's very '92, like a shot-for-MTV snapshot of the period), but staying power is not one of its virtues.
6/10