Guarding Tess | | Cast : | Nicolas Cage, Shirley MacLaine | | Director : | Hugh Wilson | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 11, 1994 | | DVD Released Date : | October 30, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 13, 2005 | | Summary | The First Widow | Content
 | Guarding Tess is a pretty good comedy drama that becomes a fair suspense drama by the end. Nicolas Cage (Matchstick Men) plays a Secret Service agent in charge of guarding an obstinate former first lady, first widow Carlisle, played by Shirley MacLaine (The Sheepman). Cage wants out of the job to move on to a more important / exciting assignment, but MacLaine bends the ear of the current President to keep him. Arguments between the two are amusing and interesting as they each maneuver to get their own way. Cage insists on following rules to the letter to try to irritate her into releasing him - but she always seems to have more power. The supporting cast includes Edward Albert as Mrs. Carlisle's son, and Austen Pendleton as the driver who's with the first widow .. when ... she ..... disappears...... |
| Rating | | | Date | July 02, 2005 | | Summary | SHIRLEY SHINES | Content
| GUARDING TESS wouldn't be so much fun if it weren't for the presence of the unflappable Shirley MacLaine as the former first lady who gets Nicolas Cage for her secret service bodyguard. Cage is equally effective in his role. He hates his assignment and he and MacLaine don't get along well at all. But when the President himself (voiced by director Hugh Wilson) insists on their pairing, what can Cage do? Other than the expected pivotal kidnap plot, there's not a whole lot that goes on, but the film surprisingly shows what it must be like to surrender your privacy due to your notoriety and MacLaine's attempts to find such private moments is poignant. A solid supporting cast makes it work too, although Edward Albert's character of MacLaine's son is rushed over too much to bring any significance to the role. All in all, a pleasant enjoyable movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 15, 2002 | | Summary | Unexpected gem... | Content
| When "Guarding Tess" was released eight years ago, I ended up watching it in the theater because I was bored and because it looked a little more promising than the rest of the pack. That thought proved to be an understatement. To date, I have seen this movie at least eight times, and I tend to enjoy it more with each viewing. Nicholas Cage is perfect as the disgruntled Secret Service agent who feels he has been banished to his current duty -- namely, doting on a cantankerous former First Lady, played to the hilt by Shirley MacLaine. "Guarding Tess" is alternately funny and moving, and even includes a bit of a mystery for Cage to solve. Far more than a one-dimensional film, "Guarding Tess" is satisfying for so many reasons -- the witty script, the fine performances, the deft direction, and the mostly even pacing, to name a few. While you can catch this on a regular basis on TBS (which has made the movie one of its most reliable staples), "Guarding Tess" is definitely worth owning for more frequent viewing. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 12, 2002 | | Summary | TBS Superstation. | Content
| I just watched the second half of Guarding Tess on TBS. It's now 11:30PM, and I am writing this review when I should be in bed 1 and half hour ago. Nicolas Cade and The old woman in the movie both turned in great performances. The story was lightly funny at first, but didn't really go anywhere. The relationship between The FBI agent and ex-first lady was strange, and though the movie tried to give their intimacy an explanation, it was still weird. The climax came at the end, and was very entertaining, for it broke a long line of fairly boring plot. There is much meaning in the movie; it tried successfully to bring the emotions of a smart first lady widow who dearly wants attention to life. I was touched by the movie. Thank you. I should go to bed now. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 10, 2002 | | Summary | Better Than Guarding The President's Dog | Content
| Nicholas Cage stars as a Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine has a difficult personality, and being guarded by Cage, a by-the-books man, causes a lot of friction between the two. She won't let him be reassigned, yet she seems bent on messing with him every chance she can get. It turns into one of those love-hate relationships that have fueled many a film, but this one works better than most. Cage and MacLaine are both excellent choices for their roles, giving the kind of quality performances you'd expect, with an unexpectedly good chemistry between them. I wish Cage would appear in more films like this, since I often find his choice of pictures puzzling. The rest of the cast takes a backseat to the star performances. The writing is good, allowing the relationship to develop naturally between the characters. I do wish there had been a few more laughs and that the ending had not come so quickly. I don't know if relationships develop between Secret Service agents and the people they are assigned to protect, so I don't know how realistic this was, but I really liked the characters, found the story amusing, and enjoyed the film a lot. |
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