SunnyHello Nice effects though.

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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.

Davis P Guarding Tess is a pretty weak film overall despite it's A list cast. Even though good actors like Shirley MacLaine and Nicholas Cage drive the movie, it still falls flat because of its weak storyline and weak script. The acting is alright, Cage does a fair job with his role, I've seen better from him, but it's definitely not his worst. Shirley MacLaine is actually fairly good in her starring role, has the persona/attitude down pretty well. The storyline and script is what fails with this film. The storyline just simply doesn't live up to great comedy or being in the least bit entertaining. And if a the lackluster plot isn't enough to make this one fail all together, it's the poorly written script, the very weak dialogue between the characters throughout the film. The script is supposed to be funny, to provide amusing lines and situations where the audience would at least get a chuckle out of what's happening on screen, but we as the audience never really get that. It's a shame too, because I think this film had some real potential, but it ultimately is just a very forgettable movie. Even A-list Hollywood actors sometimes can't save a movie like this..... Guarding Tess gets a 3 out of 10.

Jackson Booth-Millard I read that this was a political themed comedy, the title certainly gave you an idea what it involved, and I was told it was a reasonably good watch, with average critic ratings as well, so I gave it a go, from director Hugh Wilson (Police Academy, The First Wives Club, Blast from the Past). Basically Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) is a Secret Service Agent who works to protect the former First Lady and widow to the former President of the United States, Tess Carlisle (Golden Globe nominated Shirley MacLaine), it is a job he does not enjoy however, because he loathes the way she treats him. Tess treats Doug as more of a servant than a member of security, unlike her real assistant staff like chauffeur Earl Fowler (Austin Pendleton) and nurse Frederick (Richard Griffiths), she asks him to the simplest and most demeaning of tasks, and whenever he complains she calls the current President and he phones him in annoyance, and he can't seem to get away from her as she reassigns him after three years. But Tess during a hospital visit watches the footage of her late husband's funeral, and she notices Doug in the footage, she grieves for a long while, and as she recovers she tries to make more of an effort towards her head of security, and there is also a kidnap threat where he becomes highly concerned for her, so in the end Tess and Doug are much better toward each other. Also starring Edward Albert as Barry Carlisle, Independence Day's James Rebhorn as Howard Schaeffer, John Roselius as Tom Bahlor, David Graf as Lee Danielson, Don Yesso as Ralph Buoncristiani and James Lally as Joe Spector. Cage is relatively good being the annoyed bodyguard, but obviously the key role and the big reason for this film being mildly memorable is indeed MacLaine, the problem is though that her performance is so close to realistic that the film isn't all that funny, I didn't laugh that much to be honest, I found it annoying, predictable in places, cringing for the wrong reasons, and overall just a bit dull, not my kind of comedy. Okay!