Girls Just Wanna Watch That Babe Kevin Costner : <i> In “The Bodyguard,” a strong and silent ex-Secret Service man succumbs to the charms of a beautiful and worldly singer while trying to protect her from a mysterious stalker. (Rated R) : </i>

To us girls, it just doesn’t seem to matter what kind of silly haircut Kevin Costner gets or what kind of emotionally dysfunctional character he portrays.

“I think he’s cute,” says Marly, who at 11 is just leaving the stage when the most popular thing boys and girls do together is hit each other.

But this is Kevin Costner, not some kid from the sixth grade, and Marly’s eyes sparkle like her braces when she talks about the movie she’s seen twice, would gladly see again and buy the video for continual home viewing.

“What about Whitney Houston?

Did you think she’s pretty?” I ask.

“She’s a good singer,” Marly says with polite dismissal. Marly also likes murder mysteries, and this one kept her on the edge of her seat. “It was kind of a fast movie. It wasn’t slow,” she says. “You didn’t know who the murderer was.”

But out of a possible five stars, Marly would give “The Bodyguard” only 4 1/2. The biggest flaw in the whodunit was that she didn’t guess who done it. “I think they shouldn’t have picked who they picked to be the murderer.”

Marly saw the movie the first time with her mother and the second time with a friend’s father.

“It’s an R-rated movie, you know. Kids under 17 aren’t supposed to go without a parent,” I say. “Did you think any parts were too old for you?”

Marly thought she was too young for some parts, “like while they’re at the cabin, the guy came and he shot the sister. It was kind of violent.”

“What about the language? Did it bother you? Did you hear a lot of F-words?”

“It didn’t bother me, but it was a lot,” Marly says. After watching so many movies, “you don’t notice it that much.”

Especially when you’re really interested in a movie--one, let’s say, that has Costner in it.

“He doesn’t seem like an old guy to you?” I ask.

“No!” He’s cuter than Tom Cruise. All her friends think so too.

“He’d like to hear that, I’m sure,” I say. “That was a pretty dopey haircut, though.”

“I think he needs more hair,” she admits.

Here in Southern California, screen idols are sometimes closer than just fantasy, and Marly knows someone who has actually spoken to Kevin Costner, she says.

“My cousin lives on the same street. She met him and said he’s really nice. I saw his house; it’s in the woods.”

“Are they going to introduce you?”

“Hopefully,” she says. “I’d really like to meet him.”

“Let me know,” I tell her. “Here’s my card.”