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If, like us, you've been wondering since your first report card what they mean by "parent or guardian" - well, thanks to the movie The Guardian, now we know . . . you can actually have your report card signed by a parent OR the U.S. Coast Guard! That's how we understand it, anyway.
Although this one isn’t a remake, it feels a lot like An Officer and a Gentleman and Top Gun with a little Titanic thrown in. The story is centered around the Coast Guard and Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) who is one of the most highly decorated swimmers in Coast Guard history (a swimmer is a person who jumps from helicopters into the depth of the ocean below to rescue those in need). During one particularly intense and dangerous mission, everything goes wrong and Ben loses his partner and best friend. While dealing with his grief, he is reassigned to teach the upcoming swimmer candidates. It’s there that he meets one of his new students, Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher). Jake is determined to break every record ever set and become the best while Ben is determined to make sure Jake is doing this all for the right reasons. Their relationship grows from student and teacher to becoming friends as they discover they have more in common than either thought possible.
Much like the movie Top Gun, The Guardian has lots of exciting and dramatic action. Although there's an occasional hint that it's all just movie magic, the special effects and cinematography are, in general, very well done. Unfortunately though, the story-line is also a lot like Top Gun - in that it gets a little ridiculous at times. Just when you think things can't get any worse for our heroes, there's the "Oh My God, a meteorite!" moment that takes it from thrilling to absurd. Some of the dialogue is pretty weak too - what they didn't steal from An Officer and a Gentleman, anyway. But, the real strength of this movie is the acting. Kevin Costner is excellent, playing the aging hero perfectly. And Ashton Kutcher, who we actually never liked (because he was too goofy in That 70's Show and too cocky in MTV's Punk'd) is very convincing. This is undoubtedly the best thing he's done since Demi Moore. However, it takes him over 2 hours to do it . . . The Guardian is a long, long one - so long, in fact, that you'll think it's ending maybe six times before it actually does.
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