Themes: Bodyguards, Protecting the Innocent, Kidnapping
Main Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, James Rebhorn, Richard Griffiths
Release Year: 1994
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
A man trained for a life of excitement and danger is given a new and unexpected challenge -- minding a grouchy old woman -- in this comedy. Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) is a Secret Service agent who takes great pride in his job, performing his duties with the utmost professionalism and always minding the details. However, his assignment for the last three years has been a severe test of his patience; Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) is the widow of a former U.S. president who is well-known for her diplomatic and philanthropic work, and Doug has been in charge of her security force. But Tess tends to regard Doug less as a security officer and more as a domestic servant, like her chauffeur Earl (Austin Pendleton) or her nurse Frederick (Richard Griffiths). While Doug regards it as beneath his professional dignity to perform little chores around the house or bring Tess her breakfast in bed, she orders him to do so, and he's in no position to say, "no." Sometimes, Tess even refuses to obey Doug's security instructions, and should he argue his point too strongly, Tess will contact her close friend, the President of the United States, and ask him to give Doug a severe dressing down. So when Doug's three year hitch with Tess comes to an end, he asks to be given a more exciting and challenging assignment. However, Tess has other ideas; she's decided that she likes working with Doug, and she demands that his assignment be made permanent. Director Hugh Wilson also provides the voice of the President. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Although director Hugh Wilson's television background is sometimes overly evident in this comedy that plays too much like the feature-length pilot for a sitcom series, the film is a satisfying story told with some welcome craftsmanship and featuring two solid lead performances. Although he misfires at least as often as he succeeds, Nicolas Cage is a bold actor who doesn't mind taking creative chances, so it's a delightful surprise that he plays his Secret Service agent character with the mix of frustration and ramrod-straight uptightness called for by the script. His silent rages are among the film's best scenes. Similarly, his co-star Shirley MacLaine has been known to go a bit overboard with her brassy crab routine, but she's note-perfect here as the depressed, tart-tongued widow tormenting her staff and suffering in silence from depression and a secret illness. Both actors ground a story in reality that is well conceived and tightly structured but occasionally wanders into credulity-straining territory. Its setting is less grand but Guarding Tess (1994) makes a nice cinematic companion piece to two other cheerful, politics-centered comedies of the mid-decade: Dave (1993) and The American President (1995). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
John Roselius - Tom Bahlor; David Graf - Lee Danielson; Dale Dye - Charles Ivy; James Handy - Neal Carlo; Susan Blommaert - Kimberly Cannon; Al Cerullo - Helicopter Pilot; John Louis Fischer - Crew Member; Michael Gabel - Kidnapper; James Lally - Joe Spector; Harry J. Lennix - Kenny Young; Katie O'Hare - Barbara; Diana Sowle - Hairdresser; Brant Van Hoffman - Bob Hutcherson; Don Yesso - Ralph Buoncristiani; Hugh Wilson - The President; Aleta Helena Chappelle
Credit
Charley Beal - Art Director, Jonathan Filley - Associate Producer, Aleta Helena Chappelle - Casting, Ann Roth - Costume Designer, Sue Gandy - Costume Designer, Henry Bronchtein - First Assistant Director, Hugh Wilson - Director, Sid Levin - Editor, Michael Convertino - Composer (Music Score), Allen Weisinger - Makeup, Peter Larkin - Production Designer, Brian Reynolds - Cinematographer, Martin Elfand - Producer, Ned Tanen - Producer, Nancy Graham Tanen - Producer, Leslie Rollins - Set Designer, Connie Brink - Special Effects, James J. Sabat - Sound/Sound Designer, Chuck Jeffreys - Stunts, Peter Torokvei - Screenwriter, Hugh Wilson - Screenwriter
Guarding Tess is a 1994 movie starring Shirley MacLaine and Nicolas Cage. MacLaine plays the part of fictional former First Lady Tess Carlisle who has a difficult personality. She is protected by an entourage of Secret Service bodyguards led by a reluctant Doug Chesnic (Cage). Tess' entire staff dislike her whims and demands. Chesnic desperately wants a transfer to another assignment which Carlisle repeatedly blocks. This dislike is transformed however when Carlisle gets kidnapped and Chesnic and his team try their best to save her.
The movie was filmed in Parkton, Maryland,[1] and nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1995 (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical: Shirley MacLaine).
Doug Chesnic is a Secret Service agent who takes great pride in his job, performing in his duties with the utmost professionalism and always minding the details. However, his assignment for the last three years has been a severe test of his patience; Tess Carlisle is the widow of a former U.S. President who is well-known for her diplomatic and philanthropic work, and Doug has been in charge of her security force. But Tess tends to regard Doug less as a security officer and more of a domestic servant, like her chauffeur Earl or her nurse Frederick.
While Doug regards it as beneath his professional dignity to perform little chores around the house or bring Tess her breakfast in bed, she orders him to do so, and he's in no position to say, "no". Sometimes, Tess even refuses to obey Doug's security instructions, and should he argue his point too strongly, Tess will contact her close friend, the President of the United States, and ask him to give Doug a severe dressing down. So when Doug's three year hitch with Tess comes to an end, he asks to be given a more exciting and challenging assignment. However, Tess has other ideas; she's decided that she likes working with Doug, and she demands that his assignment be made permanent.
