Lifeguard

Saw this when it came out and, though I never had the leisure to share as much beach time as some of the characters in this film, I did know some of the surf-and-sand denizens of the beaches from Malibu south to San Diego back in the 1970's. I thought this film was a not inaccurate glimpse of what that sun-kissed lifestyle was all about. Sam Elliott was well cast as a lifeguard a few years older than the average athlete who perched on those observation stations, looking out at the Pacific's frequently treacherous waves. He looked the part and had the depth needed to make his character's less-than-monumental struggles to come to grips with his life and his career choice about as convincing as any actor probably could.

With some fallow periods in the years since, Sam has continued to work quite steadily, though I've often wished he wasn't so often confined to Western roles. (What would he have done without Ted Turner and TNT and all those made-for-TV Western sagas?) With that distinctively macho growl of his, there's no mistaking who's doing a voice-over for one of the commercials he's done. I've always felt that his speaking voice has been his unique asset as an actor, not to mention the awesome mustache he frequently sports. "Lifeguard" is worth a look if you want a glimpse of southern California before it became impossibly overcrowded and overbuilt...when it was still a semi-paradise for the young and feckless.

Sam Elliot plays the coolest lifeguard ever! Gals will love this because , well Sam is so hot (speedos,nice abs,70s porn mustache)and guys will love the never ending stream of babes that pursue him ( the stewardess,the buxom receptionist,the high school sweetheart and the adorable,hormonal teenager. By the way, Kathleen Quinlan plays a memorable role in this film,adorable and sultry at the same time.What a lovely girl and so talented at a young age! I love this film,I purchased it,had viewed it in the 1970's(with the parents!!! and never forgot it).I watch it often and never tire of the cute story and realistic look at the 70's beach culture! It reminds me of youthful summer days at the beach(that's all I'm telling!). This movie was well casted,every character was well acted,perfectly chosen for the roles they played.The music ,as well, is amazing,beautiful summery songs. A real reflection of the 1970's for me and hopefully for you too.. If this was not reality for you,I'm sure it was one of your fantasies.

I first saw this movie about five years after a miserable divorce. I had worked fifteen years supplying a monster home, Mercedes for her, Jag V12 for me, all for nothing. With everything now gone I saw this film not once but two days in a row. The actors, the plot and the Bee-Gee's background music was almost hypnotic. It helped me change my vocation from being corporate cattle, to one that I love doing. A copy rests in my video library and is viewed regularly. It's 5 star to me.

This is the movie to see when you want to fantasize about an alternative to the 9 to 5 lifestyle. It's not your typical beach party movie, but has real depth, as lifeguard Sam Elliott tries to decide what to do with his life, when he is forced to examine it after attending his high school reunion. I liked Sam's character, even with all of his imperfections, and I felt good about his choice. A bonus in the movie is getting to see Kathleen Quinlan as a teenager. She later went on to play a great role in the marvelous romantic movie "The Promise."

Thank goodness Sam Elliott took his shirt off twice in "Frogs." The wife of Daniel Petrie supposedly saw "Frogs" while her husband was trying to cast the lead role in his new movie, "Lifeguard," and she suggested he consider a minor actor with a suntanned physique named Sam Elliott. Mrs. Petrie proved to be a shrewd judge of man-flesh because it's impossible to imagine "Lifeguard" without Elliott's presence. And thank goodness Elliott wasn't asked to shave his gloriously-hairy chest for that "Southern California" look! This is a movie made on that cusp between the turbulent 60s and the self-satisfied 70s, about a man who's happy with a job which others think is beneath him. Quiet, thoughtful, and with a career-high performance by its leading man, "Lifeguard" had little impact at the box office back in 1976 but over the years it's acquired a loyal and discerning following. (Of course, there is the matter of Elliott's character having sex with an underage girl played by Kathleen Quinlan.) Elliott spends much of the movie wearing red "Baywatch" style swim trunks but at one point, for a swimming race, he slips into a tight mini-pair of Speedos which clearly shows he's "reproductively-gifted."