Around our house, one of our favorite phrases is “comfort food movies.” These are the movies that we may have watched countless times before but that we don’t mind putting on again whenever we need cheering up. And one of our favorite comfort food films is The Bodyguard, the film in which Kevin Costner plays Whitney Houston’s bodyguard and eventually falls in love with her.
We’ve honestly lost track of how many times we’ve seen this movie. As a side effect of those frequent repeat viewings, though, we’ve discovered some bloopers and mistakes that will completely change how you see this classic film. Don’t believe it? Keep reading to discover our favorite flubs in the classic film The Bodyguard!
Pink armband confusion
Pink armbands play a prominent role in The Bodyguard, but you might not have noticed them before. In fact, most who notice the bands at all only notice that Kevin Costner’s character is wearing one after he has been shot. However, the bands appear in an earlier scene, one where eagle-eyed viewers may notice a really glaring error.
Earlier in the film, we see that these pink armbands are being scanned as people are admitted to the Academy Awards. They are meant to be a security measure, and in one instance, the band is scanned properly. But in the second shot of that moment, you can see that only the perforated part of the band is getting scanned. That, of course, wouldn’t actually provide any info to the scanner!
The mystery doll
In one of The Bodyguard’s more tender scenes, Kevin Costner is putting Whitney Houston’s character to bed. To do so, he moves all of the dolls on the bed to one side to make room for her. Pay close attention to what comes next, though, and you’ll see that at least one of those dolls decided he wouldn’t take all this manhandling sitting down!
In the shot of Houston lying on the bed, you can clearly see that one doll is still sitting up and is resting next to her. It almost seems like the doll teleported there when nobody was looking! Of course, if you never noticed this because you were too focused on the crazy chemistry between Costner and Houston, we wouldn’t blame you.
Major Academy Awards weirdness
Ever heard someone tell you that you should “turn your brain off” to watch movies? That’s something that we always have trouble doing. And when your brain is chugging along while watching The Bodyguard, you can’t help but notice weird things that make no sense. This includes the scene where Whitney Houston’s character attends the Academy Awards and ultimately wins the Oscar for Best Actress.
This scene is tense because we get plenty of creepy shots of the creepy figure in the crowd who wants to assassinate her. But the only reason we get those shots is because her character was seated about 20 rows backward and had to walk a long time up to the stage. In reality, anyone who was nominated for Best Actress would be seated much closer to the stage!
The disappearing and reappearing sign
Some of the mistakes and bloopers in The Bodyguard are sillier than others. For example, there’s a scene where Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston’s characters are returning from a funeral. Accordingly, you can see a sign on their windshield that reads “FUNERAL.”
Where’s the mistake? Well, about two seconds later, that sign has moved from the left to the right side. It’s a very small thing, but quite jarring when you notice it!
Why no oxygen mask?
Fair warning: the next bit is a pretty classic case of nitpicking. But that’s our main bag, baby! And in this case, we have a pretty big nit to pick with what happens after Kevin Costner’s character gets shot. We see the character getting wheeled out and sent to the hospital, and the I.V. fluids on him certainly seem pretty convincing.
What’s less convincing, though, is that he isn’t wearing an oxygen mask in this scene. In reality, anyone who had been shot like that would be receiving oxygen. Chances are the filmmakers didn’t want to obscure Costner’s face, but this strange moment is enough to really break our suspension of disbelief.
That’s not Whitney Houston on the poster
If you’re a superfan of The Bodyguard, you probably love its poster. After all, what could be sexier than Kevin Costner holding Whitney Houston? There’s just one problem: that’s not Houston on the cover.
In reality, the woman in this iconic cover is Houston’s stunt double. You can’t tell because her face is buried in Costner’s neck, hiding her face. Ironically enough, some at the time criticized the poster because they thought the studio was trying to hide Houston. In reality, the character’s face was hidden because the famous performer had already gone home and her double needed to take her place!