As a bronze Apollo, the lifeguard is heroically beautiful, as a sentient being he is impossibly dumb. Nothing plus nothing equals nothing.

The most Interesting thing about "Lifeguard" is the sight of Sam Elliott, who plays the title character.

The film, like its title character, is charming and unassuming - making no pretense of eloquence or importance, yet achieving both.

"Lifeguard" is uneven at times, but when it attempts to grasp the struggles of the main character and his emotional battles, it finds interesting places to go, boosted by fine acting from star Sam Elliott.