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Guarding Tess (1994)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
11 March 1994 (USA) moreTagline:
A comedy beyond the call of duty.Plot:
A former First Lady of the US wants a particular Secret Service agent to head her bodyguard detail, even though he can't stand her. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Legendary Producer Tanen Dies (From WENN. 5 January 2009, 11:12 PM, PST)
Edward Albert Dead at 55
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 28 September 2006)
User Comments:
Unusual theme, unusual relationship, brilliantly done moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Nicolas Cage | ... | Doug Chesnic | |
| Shirley MacLaine | ... | Tess Carlisle | |
| Austin Pendleton | ... | Earl Fowler | |
| Edward Albert | ... | Barry Carlisle | |
| James Rebhorn | ... | Howard Schaeffer | |
| Richard Griffiths | ... | Frederick | |
| John Roselius | ... | Tom Bahlor | |
| David Graf | ... | Lee Danielson | |
| Don Yesso | ... | Ralph Buoncristiani | |
| James Lally | ... | Joe Spector | |
| Brant von Hoffman | ... | Bob Hutcherson | |
| Harry Lennix | ... | Kenny Young | |
| Susan Blommaert | ... | Kimberly Cannon | |
| Dale Dye | ... | Charles Ivy | |
| James Handy | ... | Neal Carlo |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
96 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreCertification:
Iceland:L | Canada:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Philippines:G | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10/7 | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL (video premiere) | Norway:10 | Peru:14 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PGFun Stuff
Trivia:
George Clooney auditioned for just one line in this movie but it never made it to the screen. moreGoofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Frederick sarcastically expresses surprise to Doug that he isn't standing outside The Russian Tea Room as part of Jacqueline Kennedy's Secret Service detail. Kennedy forfeited her Secret Service privileges when she remarried. moreQuotes:
Doug Chesnic: Get in the god damn chair.Tess Carlisle: Hmm. Very good, Douglas. You're going to be all right.
more
Soundtrack:
Joy To The World moreFAQ
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This is an unexpected pearl of a movie. Neither of the two stars, Shirley MacLaine or Nicholas Cage, are normally high on my list of favorites, but they pull off this odd ball relationship to perfection. There's chemistry here, just not in the usual sense of the word! It's a plot idea unlike any I've previously encountered...
Doug (Nicholas Cage) is a Secret Service man assigned the dubious honor of "guarding Tess" Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine), the feisty, aging, crotchety widow of a former American President and friend to the current President (who owes her favors and she doesn't let him forget it!). Nothing Doug does pleases Tess; nothing ANYONE does pleases Tess. Yet, she has an obvious underlying affection for her Secret Service guard, the only agent she'll in fact tolerate, who most of the time wishes he had just about any other job. Tess's own son totally neglects her and she's a lonely lady, caught up in old memories of her past White House days, when she and her husband were objects of great respect, affection, and attention. Tess is a cantankerous character now (of course Shirley MacLaine's a natural for the part!) but altogether sympathetic. I won't give away the story but Doug has his work cut out for him, and not just putting up with her moods, whims, and assorted outrages. The plot thickens and drama awaits...
There's action and adventure but the movie is much more character driven than plot driven. It's a treat to watch the unfolding relationship between this unlikely pair. Whether it's a realistic scenario or not, it makes for an entertaining, amusing, and touching movie you're bound to enjoy.