Kirpianuscus
Maybe, the chemistry between Shirley McLaine and Nicholas Cage represents the lead virtue of this bitter comedy. And the good reason to see it as not the best but decent story about old age, solitude, eccentricity, duty, loyalty and friendship. Its end is really touching and a good revanche to few not reasonable holes. Short, a nice film. For actors more than the script.
Michael_Elliott
Guarding Tess (1994) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) is a former First Lady who requests that Secret service agent Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) is put in charge of protecting her. She does this even though he can't stand her and she plans on making his time as miserable as possible.GUARDING TESS isn't the most original comedy out there but if you're a fan of the cast then you should find enough entertainment here to make it worth watching. The film is certainly a throwback to the days when these type of films were rather common. The unlikely relationship between two people who hate each other but overtime things begin to change.The film's screenplay is pretty simple as you've got the straight-arrow Cage who is very committed to his job but slowly begins to lose his mind because of the picking from the First Lady. As far as the MacLaine character, she's pretty much a version of GRUMPY OLD MEN but of course with a woman. She's cranky, mean and willing to do whatever it takes to drive people crazy.I honestly didn't find the film to be overly funny but there's no question that the two stars are very good in their roles and they also share some nice chemistry. The film also has its heart in the right place and it's certainly worth watching.
HotToastyRag
Everyone pays attention to former presidents, but what about former first ladies? Guarding Tess shows audiences what happens when the spouses leave the White House.Shirley MacLaine is a widowed former first lady, guarded for the rest of her life by the Secret Service. She gives her usual wonderfully gruff performance with touches of sensitivity and heart when it matters. She's just lovely. Nicolas Cage gives an equally brilliant performance as her main agent, frustrated by his boring assignment and Shirley's grouchy disposition.The two play off each other beautifully, and the audience is given an unusual but touching love-hate friendship to watch. Guarding Tess is a really fantastic movie, with great acting and a memorable theme, and it's really knowledgeable, too! Pretty much all the information I have about the Secret Service I learned from this movie.
Siloty
When this movie was bought, I at first wasn't keen on watching it except because of Nicolas Cage I thought it might be alright.Well when I sat down to watch this movie I was quite surprised to how entertaining this movie actually was.There were funny parts that would put a smile on my face and some that made me laugh out loud. There were also great drammatical parts later in the film that just added to the fine touches of making a great film.The chemistry between Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine worked so well and their performances entertaining and often funny.A great movie about learning to appreciate what is given to you and not wasting energy on what you cannot get. A gem of a movie, I recommend it.
AD
