The Lifeguard

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The Lifeguard

R

Released Aug 30, 2013

1h 38m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

16%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

27%

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5,000+ Ratings

A reporter (Kristen Bell) quits her job, returns to her old lifeguard duties, and has an affair with a teenager.

Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

"The Lifeguard" is hemmed in by vagueness and cliche, and nearly ruined by its soundtrack, an insistent barrage of thematically obvious alt-radio music cues.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 2, 2013

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

Although writer-director Liz W. Garcia's wistful, angsty tale treads familiar ground, the filmmaker has crafted a credibly flawed and conflicted heroine who holds interest.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 30, 2013

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Kyle Smith

New York Post

The central character simply comes across as whiny and entitled instead of troubled and dark, and the central theme of getting your groove back by acting like a kid again has been done many times by much more talented filmmakers.

Rated: 1/4

Aug 30, 2013

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JD Duran

InSession Film

The third act does get better and leaves some room for you to get on board with what’s happening. Once it comes full circle, there’s a little relief but not enough to repair the damage already done.

Rated: D+

Aug 15, 2024

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Though featuring a handful of winning performances from an extremely likeable cast, writer/director Liz W. Garcia's debut, The Lifeguard, is about as original and realistic as its metaphorical title is gauntly vague.

Aug 22, 2019

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Morgan Rojas

Cinemacy

The Lifeguard is not groundbreaking cinema or a heavy-handed story, but it succeeds in showcasing great performances from its actors.

Mar 1, 2019

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Nick W

Well written sympathetic charecter study, even if the lead is just a doofus making very poor lifechoices. Brilliant performence by Bell and also the supporting cast.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/24

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Patrick M

Always love Kristin Bell. This movie was pretty slow. A little bit disappointed. I would have liked a different ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/22/24

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Clive A

This movie is definitely imperfect. Flaws in some material, flaws in some music choices etc. BUT it is frankly a really good effort from the stars and director. Bell can play any role, but if the direction and story was a bit less "heavy handed" this would look more like Garden State. It tries to "tell you how to feel" instead of letting you feel at times, and the best friend's storyline seems almost like an afterthought. That being said. It's not a bad movie by any means. I (personally) am excited to see what Liz does next. She definitely has that indie, Zack Braff vibe and with a bit of fine tuning, I think she'll kill it.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

) Isn't it a crime for a 30 year old to be with a 16 year old? This film romanticized the idea. Really not a good idea to plant this seed into anyone's head. Really, really not a good idea. Otherwise, I thought the acting was good. I was truly appalled, though, that they took it to the statutory r*pe level. Not cool. At. All.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Audience Member

Does anyone know why Jay decided to cancel the postcard he wrote to Leigh in the end of the movie?

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

Like its characters, the movie struggles to figure out who it is & what it wants, but makes a strong third act comeback. Thoughtful & well-photographed, it gets weighed down by an obnoxiously pretentious indie rock soundtrack. #nitrosMovieChallenge

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/22

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Liz W. Garcia

Director

Kristen Bell

Leigh

David Lambert

Little Jason

Alex Shaffer

Matt

Mamie Gummer

Mel

Martin Starr

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Synopsis

A reporter (Kristen Bell) quits her job, returns to her old lifeguard duties, and has an affair with a teenager.

Director: Liz W. Garcia
Producer: Milan Chakraborty, Liz W. Garcia, Joshua Harto, Ryan Alan Dearth
Screenwriter: Liz W. Garcia
Distributor: Focus World, Screen Media Ventures
Production Co: C Plus Pictures, Attic Light Films, La Pistola
Rating: R (Brief Graphic Nudity|A Disturbing Image|Strong Sexuality|Drug Use|Language|Some Involving Teens)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 30, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Runtime: 1h 38m