Lifetime Review: 'Bodyguard Seduction'
Strong pacing and an entertaining story keep this film from being ruined by its heroine's unlikable side.
Synopsis:
Charly Huxton (Jessica Morris) is a beautiful model and owner of a Fortune 500 fashion company. But her fame and success come at a price. Not only is the public forever clamoring for details about her personal life, but she's recently received a death threat. Much to Charly's chagrin, her business partner and board members agree she should hire a bodyguard while the police investigate the threat. Initially, Charly is less than receptive to Jonathan Makepeace (Ross Jirgl), the man hired for the job. But over time, Charly begins to warm up to Jonathan's bold personality and compassionate heart--as well as his drop dead gorgeous looks. But as the two grow closer, the threats against Charly intensify and threaten to destroy everything she's built. How will Charly get out of this mess--and who can she really trust?
Story:
Bodyguard Seduction is a bit unique in how it advertises itself. Based on the title and above poster, you'd think this was a Lifetime obsession thriller about a bodyguard becoming dangerously fixated on the woman he was hired to protect. But halfway through the film, the truth behind the threats against Charly is revealed and the remaining portion of the movie goes down a different road. Both before and after this transition, Bodyguard Seduction is a well-paced thriller, though the real action picks up after the aforementioned transition. Along with consistent drama and suspense, there are also a few steamy scenes--most of which involve Charly and Jonathan--sprinkled into the script that are sure to be to at least a few viewers' liking. It all culminates in a rousing climax complete with guns, brawling, and a splash of BDSM (trust me, it makes sense in context).
Characters:
Be warned, though: you're likely to spend the first minutes of the film irritated with Charly Buxton. While she may sell herself as an empowered businesswoman who doesn't take grief from others, Charly more often than not comes across as just plain nasty. She's frequently rude, talks down to those she holds authority over, and has the habit of being ready to fire employees over the smallest things. It's pretty laughable to hear Charly describe her former designer Godfrey as a "prima donna" when that title fits her just as easily. Jonathan's arrival somewhat mellows Charly out and it's eventually revealed that she's doing something incredibly generous for one of her employees. But some of her toxic qualities still remain throughout her budding new relationship and that act of kindness never comes back up after it's introduced. That makes it painfully clear how it was simply written to make Charly look good and to kick off her and Jonathan's romantic development.
With all that said, the second half of Bodyguard Seduction sees Charly at her best, shedding most of her toxicity and having some sweet moments with Jonathan. While it would've been great to have some moments where Charly admits to her faults and the trouble they've caused her, this milder sort of character growth does the trick. As for Charly's bodyguard turned lover, Jonathan isn't nearly as annoying. First, he gets an amusing Meet Cute scene with Charly when she mistakes him for a prowler and pepper sprays him. Second, even when he's being gruff and mildly insensitive towards Charly, you can see Jonathan has a good heart--one which comes to the surface as he and Charly develop deeper feelings for one another.
SPOILER ALERT As for the villains, they're at opposite ends of what I call the "understandability" scale. While Vargas is little more than a treacherous snake, Lark Embridge's motivation goes beyond greed. Despite being Charly's righthand woman, it's clear from the start that Lark is tired of her business partner's catty attitude and arrogant dismissal of all her ideas. After getting a taste of how Charly runs her business, it's hard not to see where Lark's frustration is coming from. This scrap of empathy is what makes Lark a compelling antagonist as she rather effortlessly goes about wrecking Charly's life. Vargas, meanwhile, is an effective surprise villain. After being set up as Jonathan's sketchy but loyal best friend, seeing Vargas turn against Jonathan in exchange for easy money is pretty shocking. The last of the antagonists is Godfrey, who Lark uses as a patsy before killing him so she can frame Charly and Jonathan for his murder. Before that, though, Godfrey cathartically blasts Charly's unreasonable demeanor and is an overall fun-to-watch feisty diva. Spoilers Over
Acting:
Her character may not give off the best first impression, but Jessica Morris still does well with her performance. She keeps Charly grounded enough to where her aggravating qualities won't make you want to abandon the movie and she shares good chemistry with Ross Jirgl. The pair packs some heat into Charly and Jonathan's more sensual scenes and Jirgl (while not giving a perfect performance) makes the brooding bodyguard charming in his own right.
Alice Blasingame and Ryan Francis both give consistent performances as Charly and Jonathan's respective best friends Lark and Vargas. SPOILER ALERT The charisma Francis gives to Vargas is what makes it such a shock when Jonathan's military buddy decides to betray him and align with Lark. Lark shows her true colors earlier than Vargas and Blasingame delivers her character's evil determination with a subdued flair. Cold and methodical until the time comes for Lark to go off on Charly for being a bad friend and explode over her plan being foiled, Blasingame's acting brings a top-notch Lifetime villainess to life. Spoilers Over The only other noteworthy cast member is Jesse Klick, who brings all the necessary sass to his portrayal of scorned ex-designer Godfrey.
Overall:
Thanks to the steady plot progression that leads into an intense final act, Bodyguard Seduction avoids getting snuffed out by its semi-obnoxious protagonist. The pacing is right on the mark, the second half of the film keeps the drama flowing, and the actors all do their part to make their characters as engaging as the story. Jessica Morris especially deserves credit for taking a potentially divisive character and keeping her reined in enough that she doesn't drag the whole movie down with her. Plus, if you enjoy your Lifetimey mayhem with a side order of eye candy, there are a few scenes in Bodyguard Seduction sure to appease your sweet tooth.
Score: 8 out of 10 red hot chili pepper light strings.
About the Creator
Trevor Wells
Aspiring writer and film lover: Lifetime, Hallmark, indie, and anything else that strikes my interest. He/him.
Twitter: @TrevorWells98
Instagram: @trevorwells_16
Email: [email protected]
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Comments (3)
Wonderful review!!!
Great review! Well thought out and to the point. I liked the format as well. The best part is always your rating system–love it!!
Very amazing review!!!!