My Bodyguard

My Bodyguard is a 1980 comedy-drama film directed by Tony Bill (in his directorial debut), starring Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon, Martin Mull and Ruth Gordon.

Plot
The film is about a high school student, Clifford Peache (Chris Makepeace) who attends a new school where he ends up the target of tough guy Moody (Matt Dillon)'s bullying.

When the bullying becomes too much, Clifford hires Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin), the most feared kid at school, to become his personal bodyguard.

Cast

 * Chris Makepeace as Clifford Peache
 * Adam Baldwin as Ricky Linderman
 * Matt Dillon as Melvin Moody
 * Martin Mull as Mr. Peache
 * Ruth Gordon as Gramma Peache
 * Paul Quandt as Carson
 * Joan Cusack as Shelley
 * Hank Salas as Mike
 * Richard Bradley as Dubrow
 * Tim Reyna as Koontz
 * Dean R. Miller as Hightower
 * Kathryn Grody as Ms. Jump
 * John Houseman as Dobbs
 * Craig Richard Nelson as Griffith
 * Jennifer Beals (uncredited) as Clifford's friend
 * George Wendt as Engineer

Production
The filming of "My Bodyguard" took place in Chicago, Illinois.

The hotel that Clifford Peache lives in with his father & grandmother was filmed at the Omni Ambassador East Hotel which was located near the North Side of Chicago.

The school scenes were filmed at Lake View High School located at 4015 N. Ashland Avenue in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago.

Filming also took place at Lincoln Park.

Box Office
The limited release of "My Bodyguard" opened on July 11, 1980 and its wide theatrical release opened on August 15, 1980.

During its limited release, the film opened at #3 at the box office, grossing $178,641 and grossed $22,482,953 in the United States.

Critical Reception
"My Bodyguard" received generally positive reviews and has a 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews.

The site's consensus said, "T. Bill debuts as an affectionate director, keenly aware of growing pains."

Roger Ebert gave the movie, four in a half stars, saying, "My Bodyguard is a small treasure, a movie about believable characters in an unusual situation. It doesn't pretend to be absolutely realistic, and the dynamics of its big city high school are simplified for the purposes of the story. But this movie is fun to watch because it touches memories that are shared by most of us, and because its young characters are recognizable individuals, and not simplified cartoon figures like so many movie teen-agers."

Accolades
1980 National Board of Review
 * Top Ten Films (won)

1981 Writers Guild of America Awards
 * Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen: Alan Ormsby (nominated)

Young Artists Awards
 * Matt Dillon: Best Young Actor-Major Motion Picture (nominated)