I finally got to see it!!!!! And wow, what an awesome movie.

I'll admit I was hesitant. First off, I'm too familiar with the military and Coast Guard to buy into too much "ooh-rah." Second, factual errors drive me insane. They make my husband nuts, too, and since he's been in the Coast Guard for 17 years, I knew he'd pick at the movie. Third, I had serious issues with Kevin Costner's age while performing the job of rescue swimmer.

Let me just say that in the end, none of it mattered.

The "ooh-rah" factor was pretty high, but it played a role, and the characters also acknowledged it and rolled their eyes. It was pretty funny.

Factual errors…made for the sake of entertainment. And the departures from Coast Guard policy? Minor. Again, done for the sake of entertainment, and besides, no one follows the rules 100% of the time. And there were consequences for breaking the rules, which acknowledged the fact that the film-makers knew what they were doing–they weren't breaking rules because they didn't know them. They knew. Of course, the movie had a bazillion Coast Guard advisors and was shot on actual Coast Guard bases. In fact, I have a friend with behind-the-scenes pictures because he's stationed in Elizabeth City, where they did most of the filming. He sent the pics, and they were cool!

Kevin Costner's age? Satisfactorily explained.

I'm a stickler for accuracy in movies and books, but I do understand the need to make something entertaining, and I will buy departure from standard procedure if it is believably explained, showing that the departure was intentional and not a result of poor research.

So as far as Coast Guard accuracy is concerned, I give The Guardian an A.

As far as story? B+. The reason I don't give it an A is that it sort of dragged when it came to the romantic subplot. Also, be aware that this is truly a character-driven story. It is all about redemption, healing, and maturing. It's very emotional, funny, and gives viewers an inside look into the lives of servicemen who often go unnoticed and who are seriously under-appreciated. (Yeah, there's an "ooh-rah" factor going on right here in my blog now.)

I was determined not to cry, and when everyone else in the theatre did, I didn't. It wasn't until the "6 months later" part that I lost it. Dammit. I hate crying in theaters.

Anyway, if you're looking for a movie that digs deep into the characters, this just might fit the bill.