I was pleasantly surprised to find this movie showing as a sneak preview in my local theater.

We have all seen this plot line before (Top Gun, GI Jane, An Officer and a Gentleman) but a good script still works. This story is basically about the training of a Coast Guard rescue team with a couple of side story lines. Kevin Costner plays a highly successful rescue team leader, Ben Randall, who is forced into heading the training team after a tough mission. The movie takes us through the rigors of the training process and the personal stories of both the Costner character and that of Jake Fischer, played by Ashton Kutcher. I am happy to say that Ashton is great in this part.

There are no great surprises in this movie and you will probably realize what is coming long before it arrives. However, the use of humor, the exploration of the toughness of the training and the fun of watching Ben Randall "do his own thing as a trainer", kept me riveted and thoroughly entertained. I really enjoy watching a movie that makes the entire audience laugh out loud, gasp here and there, and clap at the end as a tribute to the movie.

We all had a good time (despite a couple of tough moments in the movie)and, I think, you will too.

The film The Guardian turned out to be a lifesaver for me in a way. I went to see it yesterday and forgot about the blackout that was crippling Buffalo for five days.

I was expecting to see another version of young cocky recruit in the hands of old professional which has been done innumerable times in film. I was pleasantly surprised to see some real character development for those stereotypes.

Kevin Costner is the old pro here and he's been doing a job he loves for over 20 years as a rescue swimmer for the United States Coast Guard. But he's slowing up now and won't face the fact he's aging. He also was the only survivor of a rescue mission that in itself went down. He's reassigned temporarily as an instructor to train new rescue swimmers.

The top prospect at the school is a cocky kid played by Ashton Kutcher who was a high school swimming champion. The two of them clash, but then bond quite dramatically as Kutcher tells him of some demons haunting him as well.

For those of you who think of Ashton Kutcher as the lovable sexy lunkhead Michael Kelso from That Seventies Show you are in for a real shock. He turns in quite a good performance in a role that is miles away from Michael Kelso. Mr. Kutcher has a lot more talent than folks were giving him credit for.

The scenes of the various Coast Guard rescues at sea are well done as are those showing the rescue swimmer training. I'd also commend the performance of Brian Geraghty as another young recruit back for his third try at the Rescue Swimmer School.

I guess the best praise I could give The Guardian is that the Coast Guard ought to adopt this film for recruiting.

Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) is a veteran Coast Guard rescue swimmer. His wife Helen (Sela Ward) is leaving him. He loses his friend during a deadly accident in a rescue. After injuries and possible PTSD, he is forced to be an instructor at the Coast Guard "A" school. The new recruits include an arrogant champion swimmer Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) who is more interested in the swimming records. He meets Emily Thomas (Melissa Sagemiller) at a wedding. Ben is unconvinced of Jake's commitment and then he uncovers his hidden past.

This starts with a couple of thrilling rescues. It puts the movie in a compelling spot. Then it turns into a traditional 'An Officer and A Gentleman'. It's a little too on-the-nose especially with Jake's story. I would have preferred a more interesting Jake performance. It also goes on a little too long. This shouldn't be over two hours long. It needs a bit of tightening including the climax. I may even suggest dropping the love interest but this is still Hollywood. It's a movie that starts strong and stays compelling despite its oddly strict-formulaic story.