My Bodyguard (PG, 1980)

In MY BODYGUARD, teenage Cliff (Chris Makepeace) lives with his dad, who struggles to manage a hotel, and his slightly delirious Grandmother, who drinks like a fish and chases men. On his first day at a new school, Cliff stands his ground when he's bullied by Moody (Matt Dillon) and his gang of hoodlums. Relentlessly harassed by Moody, Cliff turns to a big kid named Linderman for protection. The other students are afraid of Linderman because it's rumored that he's crazy and once killed a kid. After Moody is scared away by Linderman, Cliff and Linderman become fast friends, and Cliff discovers that Linderman is dealing with a great loss in his life. Just when all seems well, Moody fights back, hiring his own nastier bodyguard. Initially reluctant, Linderman fights back while Cliff goes one-on-one with Moody.

If you have trouble with a bully, get a bigger bully on your side, right? It works in international politics, so why not in schoolyard détente? Of course, the problem with the concept is that someone can always find a bigger, nastier bully to join the fray. That's how wars begin.

Still, My Bodyguard is thankfully missing the sex and wild partying antics of so many recent teen flicks. Instead, this is a low-key portrayal of the trials and tribulations of high school. Student life is portrayed in a brutally realistic fashion that will resonate with middle-schoolers. Refreshingly down-to-earth until the final over-the-top fight, teens will likely look past the dated look to embrace the relevant themes. The acting is equally realistic. Chris Makepeace is ideal as the spunky kid who thinks his way out of a problem (until the end), and Matt Dillon is perfect as the menacing bully.