Costner is back in the water and swimming hard

Meanwhile, though, there is mentoring to be done, in a manner that suggests a serviceable variation on the Top Gun/Officer and a Gentleman model, most of it taking place in a swimming pool. Kutcher has a sly star quality, and some of the supporting actors — notably Neal McDonough as Ben's fellow teacher and sort-of-rival, and Melissa Sagemiller as the schoolteacher who serves as Jake's love interest — bring a sparkle of wit and invention to their stock characters. The participation of actual members of the Coast Guard lends an air of authenticity, and the mission of The Guardian is, in its way, as admirable as their own. It's not a great movie, but it's certainly one of the finest Coast Guard pictures you're likely to see anytime soon.