Verdict
Summary
A beautifully shot, directed, and scripted romantic drama with heart and soul, Lifeguard is a real gem, particularly if you’re an Angelino who lived in the area during the era in which is was made. It has a wonderfully evocative, sunny dream state that permeates its atmosphere, and Elliot perfectly captures his character’s emotional, masculine crisis of conscience.
Plot:
A lifeguard in his 30s is still living the bachelor’s dream … and may never advance to the next level of his life.
Review:
In his early 30s, Rick Carlson (Sam Elliot in a sensitive performance) is still living the carefree bachelor’s life, lifeguarding at the beach every morning and scoping for chicks in bars in the evening. He’s aging gracefully without creating a legacy, and with his 15th high school reunion coming up, he’s got the jitters at the prospect of reconnecting with his high school flame (played by Anne Archer who is stunning here), because he’s basically the exact same guy he was in high school … just a little older, but not necessarily wiser. It’s the heat of the summer season, and Rick makes an unexpected connection with a 17 year-old girl who’s new to the Los Angeles area, a cute and precocious loner named Wendy (Kathleen Quinlan). She makes it clear that she wants Rick to show her how to make love, and he cautiously (as cautiously as he can) enters into a physical relationship with this girl, but being at a crossroads in his life, he doesn’t plunge into the type of relationship with her that he easily might live to regret later on. He’s offered a plum job at a Porsche dealership thanks to a hookup with an old friend, but he sees taking the job as a compromise he’s not willing to commit to … at least at this point in his life. With free reign over his destiny, options aplenty, and a horizon that seems infinite, Rick isn’t just going to settle – he’s going to bide his time until he’s ready to make any life-altering decisions.
A beautifully shot, directed, and scripted romantic drama with heart and soul, Lifeguard is a real gem, particularly if you’re an Angelino who lived in the area during the era in which is was made. It has a wonderfully evocative, sunny dream state that permeates its atmosphere, and Elliot perfectly captures his character’s emotional, masculine crisis of conscience. Quinlan (who was in her early 20’s) also manages to evoke a sense of urgency and hopeful romantic tug-of-war within herself as a girl who just wants to be loved by this older man who is genuinely a good guy and doesn’t want to take advantage of her. Ron Koslow’s script is pretty great, and Daniel Petrie’s direction is exactly right. This is a winner, worthy to be discovered.
Fun City Editions has just released a really excellent Blu-ray of Lifeguard that has a remastered transfer from a 4K scan, looking sharp and soothing to the eye. This is the first time the film has ever been on Blu-ray, and it comes with an audio commentary and an image gallery. High marks all around.
