Gang Up

By R.S.

MY BODYGUARD

Directed by Tony Bill

Screenplay by Alan Ormsby

The situation is familiar: a new boy in a tough school makes a couple of social blunders and finds himself the target of a bullying gang's wrath. But the method that undersized Clifford (Chris Makepeace) uses to solve his problem is novel. He persuades Linderman (Adam Baldwin), the biggest lad in his class, and one wrapped in a menacing silence, to act as his bodyguard. In the course of their nicely developed relationship, Clifford discovers that his new friend's silence is motivated by a dark but not dingy secret, which understanding can cure. By the time the two have disposed of their tormentors, in a well-staged final confrontation, they have done a lot of growing up.

This is a small, frail movie, but it grapples honestly with some archetypal adolescent problems. It also contains some decent comedy involving Clifford's family -- his father (Martin Mull) as a harassed hotel manager, his grandmother (Ruth Gordon) as a dotty eccentric. Actor-Producer Tony Bill, in his directorial debut, gets good use out of his Chicago locations, and he has an unmushy view of teen-age life. Grownups may feel a trifle odd stepping up to the box office for this one if unescorted by a child but, with one along, may find surprising dividends. My Bodyguard is a picture that an adult can take a youth to without feeling either patronizing or embarrassed. These days, that is a rarity.

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