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I’m a staunch Kristen Bell fan thanks to Veronica Mars so seeing her in a movie that competed at Cannes got my hopes up. Yet The Lifeguard doesn’t look as interesting as I want it to be. The meandering 20-30 something is easily one of the most tired cliches in the book of indy film cliches and it doesn’t look like this one is going to push much further.
The hope I have for it is that it looks more dramatic than comedic, which is what could make it actually work. Most of these “lost in my 20s” films lean heavily towards the comedy, with the message buried under sarcasm and pop culture references. It might be refreshing to see a film that comes at it a bit more head on. Plus, I’m a fan of Bell in the lifeguard bathing suit.
The movie hits On Demand on July 30 and in limited release on Aug. 30.
