Synopsis
A former valedictorian quits her reporter job in New York and returns to the place she last felt happy: her childhood home in Connecticut. She gets work as a lifeguard and starts a dangerous relationship with a troubled teenager.
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Cast
- Kristen BellLeigh
- Mamie GummerMel
- Martin StarrTodd
- Joshua HartoJohn
- Alex ShafferMatt
- David LambertLittle Jason
- Amy MadiganJustine
- Adam LeFevreHans
- John FinnBig Jason
- Paulie LittLumpy
Recommendations
- 60
New York Daily News
The Lifeguard is one of those deceptive movies that, to its credit, winds up being about more than just an easy-to-describe tagline. In this case, that line would be: “Woman goes back to hometown, sleeps with high school boy.” - 50
The Dissolve
Bell is too inherently sympathetic to turn Leigh into a credibly flawed protagonist, and first-time writer-director Liz W. Garcia seems more interested in indulging the fantasy of the jailbait fling than in seriously interrogating her heroine’s psyche. - 42
The A.V. Club
Like its lead character, The Lifeguard is stuck in a rut. After establishing Bell’s frustration within the first five minutes, the movie continually reiterates it. - 38
Boston Globe
Writer-director Liz W. Garcia depicts Leigh’s quandary with a heavy hand that gets heavier as the movie goes on, ending with one of those portentous freeze-frames that worked in “The 400 Blows” and never since. - 30
Variety
Lambert brings a forlorn dimension to his seductive young role, but Bell never really convinces as the older woman. Despite flirting with controversy, the actress seems reluctant to plunge fully into potential unlikability, nor does the film quite give her the chance. - 30
The Hollywood Reporter
Surprisingly for a writer turned director, the most evident shortcomings with Garcia’s feature originate with the script. With barely any backstory to support them, the characters consistently appear to lack the motivations necessary for their actions. - 27
Film.com
The Lifeguard is a painfully dull (alleged) drama utterly lacking in originality or self-awareness. - 25
Slant Magazine
The film heroically stretches out its governing water metaphor to a point that allows it to best Garden State's Guinness World Record for most incessant navel-gazing.
