Drama

Lifeguard (1976): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Name: Lifeguard
Genre: Drama
Released: 1976-07-23
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Cast: Sam Elliott, Kathleen Quinlan, Anne Archer, George Wallace, Parker Stevenson

Lifeguard is a 1976 drama directed by Daniel Petrie, starring Sam Elliott, Kathleen Quinlan and Anne Archer. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes and earned $5.4 million worldwide. Critics gave it 47% on Rotten Tomatoes and 54 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.6/10.

IMDb rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 47%
worldwide gross: $5.4M
Metascore: 54

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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: July 23, 1976
Runtime: 1h 36m (96 min)
Director: Daniel Petrie
Genre: Drama
Original language: English
Studio: Paramount Pictures
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Lifeguard About?

The premise of Lifeguard without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A dedicated lifeguard in Southern California finds his life unexpectedly complicated when he encounters his former love, now a single mother, at their high school reunion. Reconnecting sparks renewed feelings, but also triggers an identity crisis. He struggles to reconcile his passion for saving lives with the allure of a more conventional, corporate career path, questioning what truly defines his purpose.

Lifeguard Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

bare chested male
lifeguard
speedo
hairy chested man
man wears a swimsuit
porsche
california
high school reunion
class reunion
teenager
art gallery manager
teenage crush

+38 more

older man younger woman relationship
automobile salesman
thirty something
yanked off bikini top
rescue from drowning
car dealership
art gallery
sexual initiation
beach
southern california
beefcake
swim brief
backstroke
female topless nudity
hands covering breasts
towel
former classmate
mustached man
male voyeur
sexual assault
indecent exposure
binoculars
college student
underage implied sex
high school sweetheart
rowing competition
dinner date
turning down a job
no resolution
end credits roll call
implied casual sex
woman wears a bikini
single man divorced woman relationship
ex boyfriend ex girlfriend reunion
male exhibitionist
refusing to grow up
mother son relationship
female nudity

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Cast & crew

Lifeguard Cast

Sam Elliott leads the cast, with Kathleen Quinlan and Anne Archer. Directed by Daniel Petrie; 10 actors are credited in all.

Director Daniel Petrie

Also Starring in Lifeguard

· 6 more

From the director

More from Daniel Petrie

More films directed by Daniel Petrie, best-rated first: A Raisin in the Sun, Six Pack, Fort Apache the Bronx and Cocoon: The Return.

Full filmography

Ratings

Lifeguard Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Lifeguard 47% on Rotten Tomatoes and 54 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.6/10.

IMDb

6.6 /10
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Rotten Tomatoes

47% Tomatometer

Popcornmeter 71%
See on Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic

54 Metascore
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TMDB

60% User score
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Plot

Lifeguard Plot Summary

What happens in Lifeguard from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Rick Carlson, Sam Elliott, is a 32-year-old lifeguard in Southern California who enjoys a commitment-free life filled with casual relationships. For the summer, he mentors Chris Randolph, a college student who works as a weekend assistant, and he continues to feel content with his profession even as his father presses him to take a better-paying, more traditional job. A mail invitation to his 15-year high school reunion arrives, stirring the possibility of revisiting the past.

Full summary

The whole story of Lifeguard, scene by scene

Read the full summary