Where to watch Guarding Tess
3 Stars
Doug is a Secret Service Agent who has just completed his stint in charge protecting Tess Carlisle, widow of a former U.S. President, and close personal friend of the President. He finds that she has requested that he not be rotated but instead return to be her permanent detail. Doug is crushed. He wants off her detail. She is very difficult to guard and makes her detail crazy with her whims and demands. Doug returns with no idea of how to continue dealing with her.
Before the action-hero portion of Nicolas Cage’s career, there was the comedy phase. In 1994 alone, Cage appeared in three comedies. Guarding Tess was the first of his trio of releases that year, and it’s an unassuming and surprisingly engaging little picture, with fine performances from both Cage and Shirly MacLaine, who was nominated for a Golden Globe due to her work on this film. The pair’s charisma and engaging screen personas work in their favor, and by the film’s end, we have grown very fond of both actors.
Guarding Tess is a gentle comedy film; it’s more likely to produce smiles than outright laughs. Yet, the movie creates a certain tone and balances it well outside of a misguided interlude of suspense during the final act. McLaine and Cage make for a compelling screen team, and their growing fondness and eventual friendship feel earned and not only dictated by the plot’s requirements.
Directed by: Hugh Wilson
Written by: Hugh Wilson, PJ Torokvei
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton