One of the most emblematic romances of the 90's ...

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2013)

1992 left two romantic moments for cinematic posterity, both musically immortalized: the magic carpet ride in "Aladdin" where "A Whole New World" opened itself to Jasmine's dazzled eyes, and Kevin Costner protecting Whitney Houston from the riot that just interrupted her concert. While the song is never heard at that moment, we all visualize it with "I Will Always Love You" playing in the background. That image of Houston in Costner's arms is one of the most defining of the romantic nineties, Houston's feet never touched the ground but her soul touched our hearts forever and even more after her untimely passing, last year.
It's the mark of great movies to be able to capture the soul of a relationship by only using the simplicity of images and music: a film like "Titanic" will always be remembered for the flying-over-the-boat moment and "My Heart Will Go On", "Ghost" for the pottery scene erotically conducted with the "Unchained Melody", and "Dirty Dancing" when Johnny gives Baby the time of her life after putting her off the corner, and so on and so forth. And whether the film is good or bad becomes almost pointless when it reaches such a classic status. Cinema is not a rational world you know, imagery, lyrics, music have their 'word' to say and sometimes it transcends any attempt of an objective reasoning.
My tone is partly defensive because I'm aware of "The Bodyguard"'s reputation, I know that the film met with mixed to negative critics, that it was panned for its formulaic story, for the wooden performance of Kevin Costner, the eternal Razzie's scapegoat, and even Whitney Houston, didn't escape from criticism. "The Bodyguard" would almost need a bodyguard of critic to reply to its harsh disapproval. But I believe a film is also to judge in retrospect, at the light of what it has become and what has generally become of Cinema for the years after. Take all the movies I mentioned, with the exception of "Titanic", a few romances ever make it now to the top highest grossing films of the year. We thought the 90's to be 'cynical' but in comparison with the 2010's, it's the 60's.
Today, most successful films are action blockbusters / Pixar / Marvel adventures' adaptations or successful franchises, the recipe for success is clearly established, and a film like "The Bodyguard" wouldn't have necessarily worked or even been considered to be made. Take the script, written 20 years before the release (for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross as the leads): a former ex-Secret Service Agent is assigned to protect a pop star whose life is threatened by a stalker, the material is simple but it's only through the casting that Mick Jackson elevates it, by confronting two of the then most inevitable faces of show-business. Costner is Frank Farmer and Houston Rachel Marron, but we all know she's playing herself, like Ava Gardner in "The Barefoot Contessa", she gets a role tailor-made for her, and a powerful testimony for the person, that she was.
Marron is Houston, and vice versa, a diva whose talent and unique voice brought her on the top of the billboards and the kind of spotlight that unveils the darkest side of stardom. As Costner said in his eulogy: "anyone could have played the leading man, but only Whitney Houston could have played that part"; in one sense, he was right, even a star like Madonna wouldn't have fit the film. She already played in movies, which would have damaged her credibility as a 'vulnerable' star. Houston showed enough strength to convince us as a diva (because she was one) but she was fragile enough to need a strong shoulder to put her head on. But Costner is wrong about himself, he always cherished lone-ranger roles, men who combined both competence and high morality, with a wound in his past, so only him or a younger Clint Eastwood could have made it work.
And both Costner and Houston make it work. And the film never treats the interracial romance as if it was relevant to the story, but nevertheless it accentuates the gap between the two characters. He works in secrecy, she's a star, he takes his job in a no-nonsense way, she embraces celebrity with full arms, knowing that it's part of her competence to be available to the crowd of fans. These contradictions create many situations where they have to make the rules, to adapt to each other, but we know these scenes are only meant to make their chemistry grow slowly and surely until the romance finally blooms. The romance is convincing because it starts as respect, understanding, and empathy to the point of when it happens, we don't feel it contrived, but as natural, exhilarating and passionate as the song that defines it.
Indeed, "I Will Always Love You" is the darlings of Karaoke and the ultimate test in musical reality programs, and that's a credit to Whitney Houston's miraculous talent for having made both the opening and conclusion, such milestones in the world of music. It was Costner who picked the original Dolly Parton's song and suggested Houston should remake it. That fact alone proves that his casting was a blessing. "The Bodyguard" is as great as a film can get in terms of impact, and music enhances it to an extraordinarily emotional level, being till now, the all-time best-selling soundtrack.
Naturally, "The Bodyguard" was nominated for every Razzie Award possible, but like I said for "Mommie Dearest", some films stick in our mind, no matter how seemingly bad they are for some pompous critics, and that's the kind of achievement some 'greater' movies fail to achieve. The only difference is that I called "Mommie Dearest" a guilty pleasure, while I don't feel so guilty for having enjoyed "The Bodyguard".