Guarding Tess (1994)

It is a performances centric movie

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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.

I know that when most movies start (or for that matter, most books), it takes time to "set things up". But honestly, this film is downright boring for almost the first half. After all, we all know where this film is going...at least generally; either there will be an assassination plot against her or a kidnapping, or some life-threatening event.Once we reach that point, then things get darned interesting. Although with more time for this part of the film, it could have been done much more nicely. The sentimentality was crucial to the film, but more time should have been given to the action; there could have been a better balance.Can I believe Nicholas Cage as a secret service agent? Yes. Can I believe Shirley MacLaine as a feisty First Lady? Yes. Both of these two main actors do very nicely here.The slightly creepy Austin Pendleton is so good here, as he almost always was. You kinda know he's a suspect, and he plays it perfectly. Edward Albert seems rather superfluous here.The other supporting actors all do well here, although none stand out.It's a decent film, but not outstanding. But Shirley MacLaine is a joy and a treasure.

Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) is a former first lady of the United States, whose husband died while in office. Back home in Ohio, her secret service detail is headed by Special Agent Doug Chesnik (Nicolas Cage.) The movie basically traces the relationship between the two. I suspect that guarding a former first lady is not an especially exciting assignment for a secret service agent in the first place. Tess, however, is a nightmare for Chesnik. By turns rebellious toward and then dependent on her detail, she makes Chesnik's life miserable to the point at which he wants nothing more than a new assignment. Every time he tries to get transferred, though, Tess calls in favours from the new president and gets him re-assigned to her. It's the symbiotic relationship between the two that's interesting here.This is, on the whole, a surprisingly sad movie. Tess is isolated inside her home, rarely going out, and with little if any relationship with her children. Her son (played by Edward Albert) appears briefly in the movie, obviously looking not for a warm family visit with his mother but simply trying to get her to allow her name to be used to support a business deal he's involved in. Meanwhile, Chesnik is a more mysterious character about whom we learn little, except that he's a dedicated agent who had a brief and apparently troubled marriage in the past. The movie leads up to Tess's kidnapping and the search for her, which eventually leads to a heartwarming reunion between her and Chesnik, as both demonstrate their loyalty to one another. To be honest, this isn't a very exciting movie, perhaps making the point that such an assignment isn't the one that secret service agents aspire to. It's also not a bad movie. MacLaine and Cage both offered good performances, and that last twenty minutes or so after Tess's kidnapping is well done, leaving you with a pretty good taste in your mouth. (6/10)

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.