"The Lifeguard" is Brilliant

"The Lifeguard" is brilliant. Leigh, played by Kristen Bell, is a journalist living in New York. After a breakup, Leigh wants a fresh start, so she decides to go back home in Connecticut. Leigh is thirty and wanting to do something different than her life in New York, so she decides to move back home with her parents, and take up her old job of being a lifeguard. She starts spending time with her old friends, Todd, played by Martin Starr, and Mel, played by Mamie Gummer. Todd and Mel are trying to become adults in the same town they grew up in, so they were puzzled with Leigh's new ideas. Nonetheless, Leigh starts her job and meets a couple of teenagers, Jason, played by David Lambert, and Matt, played by Alex Shaffer. Jason and Matt are troubled teenagers. They smoke, do drugs, and they have plans of dropping out of high school, and moving to Vermont. They understand Leigh though, and Jason is one of the few people lives that care about her in her time of need. Jason and Leigh start a forbidden love affair. Leigh tries to figure out what she is going to do in her lost state.

This film is good, and it really hits home by the end. This film plays with your emotions, it is a raw, intense film that questions aspects of life. The cast really portrayed this idea very well. This was David Lambert's first feature film and he did very well, and it was believable to see him have this forbidden relationship with Kristen Bell. Another great role in this film was shown by Martin Starr. He has a great career so far, and it started on the amazing show, "Freaks and Geeks." He is always great, and hilarious to watch. Mamie Gummer was also fantastic in this film. She was great on "The Big C" and this film she really shined. The two main characters in this film that were especially great Alex Shaffer's and Kristen Bell's. Alex Shaffer always ceases to amaze me. This was his second feature film, and after "Win Win" I knew he was going places. In this film, he played his part so well and he was believable. Kristin Bell really surprised me in this film. This is obviously the best role she has had next to "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." She needed to get out of the romantic comedies and in this film exceeding every expectation for anyone, and she nailed this role. This is an fierce, gut-wrenching film, but excellent by the end. It did not great reviews but if watched with an open-mind it can be relatable, and satisfying by the end of the film.

Grade = 80/100 = B-