Lifeguard

PG

Released Jul 23, 1976

1 hr. 36 min.

Drama

List

47%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Southern California lifeguard Rick Carlson (Sam Elliott) has a real passion for his work, but, when he attends a high school reunion, he begins to feel that his peers have accomplished more than he has. He begins a romance with his former sweetheart, Cathy (Anne Archer), who is now a single mother with a young son. As their relationship progresses, Rick becomes even more confused about his life choices, and he starts to wonder if he should leave the beach behind and become a white-collar man.

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Brad G

Sun, surf, beautiful bodies, Cali..it has it all! Including dated misogynistic themes! As a look back in time or perhaps the need for a sunny respite during a cold winter Sunday..it's awesome!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Robert L

This movie has aged very well--much like its star, Sam Elliot! All the performances are delicate and believable--especially that of the (then) 22-year-old Kathleen Quinlan, who plays a much younger, sweet, naïve teenager. Her portrayal of puppy love angst is so emotionally tearful, you melt with her innocent grief at the ending of her first love. The film's themes--centering mainly on the American experience of early middle-age confusion over the sudden, unexpected, and always-unlooked-for loss of feckless youth, rings truer than most films that try to portray that painfully nostalgic feeling of having "aged out," no matter where it comes in the course of a human life span. It is also one of those rare cinematic dramas that is neither dark nor comic, yet feels close to the heart of anyone--and that's most of us--whose life has not gone as planned, or has not been very much planned at all. No guns, no car chases, no zombies, no grand conspiracies--and perhaps most surprisingly--no great spiritual revelations, either. There's maybe a little too much titillating nudity (very seventies, that) but otherwise it's a good, solid film about life, love, missed chances and everyday loss.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/22

Full Review

robert f

Just watched this on Hulu, I saw it at the theaters when I was a boy. Two things struck me watching this today...first, it's amazing that this film was PG!! There is enough nudity to make it R rated by today's standards and the fact that Sam Elliott's character has sex with a 17-year-old is basically pedophilia. The other thing is how unlikable Elliott's character really is. It is probably the main reason the film flopped, got bad reviews and didn't push him to the sex symbol level of Burt Reynolds. It brings back memories and fun to see the heavy 70's era style but really a silly melodrama about a guy having a midlife crisis at 30 years old.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

scott m

Enjoyed this story, but the ending is a cop out. We're not young forever. Good movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Because it remind me of back in the day

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Former beach life guard until I was 28 and went back to college. TOTALLY relate.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Daniel Petrie

Director

Sam Elliott

Rick Carlson

Anne Archer

Cathy

Kathleen Quinlan

Wendy

Stephen Young

Larry

Parker Stevenson

Chris Randall

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Robert Taylor

Boston Globe

As a bronze Apollo, the lifeguard is heroically beautiful, as a sentient being he is impossibly dumb. Nothing plus nothing equals nothing.

Jun 8, 2021

Full Review

Susan Stark

Detroit Free Press

The most Interesting thing about "Lifeguard" is the sight of Sam Elliott, who plays the title character.

Jun 8, 2021

Full Review

Bill Cosford

Miami Herald

Instead of a man torn between opposing life drives, Elliott emerges as a character annoyed by his age and tempted by the lure of big bucks.

Jun 8, 2021

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

[Daniel] Petrie almost allows the sensibility to drown the film, but his ability as a director maintains it afloat. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 11, 2023

Full Review

Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

Surprisingly easygoing, and non-involving.

May 6, 2023

Full Review

David Dugas

United Press International

Nothing much happens on the beach, where the rescues seem routine. Not much happens anywhere.

Aug 5, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Southern California lifeguard Rick Carlson (Sam Elliott) has a real passion for his work, but, when he attends a high school reunion, he begins to feel that his peers have accomplished more than he has. He begins a romance with his former sweetheart, Cathy (Anne Archer), who is now a single mother with a young son. As their relationship progresses, Rick becomes even more confused about his life choices, and he starts to wonder if he should leave the beach behind and become a white-collar man.

Director: Daniel Petrie
Executive Producer: Ted Mann
Screenwriter: Ron Koslow
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 1976, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 24, 2016

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