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Guarding Tess

Play trailer 2:20 Poster for Guarding Tess PG-13 1994 1h 36m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage), an agent with the Secret Service Uniformed Division, is assigned to protect former first lady Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine). Chesnic finds the job demeaning and a challenge because of Tess' high-maintenance personality and petty demands. He's desperate to get another assignment, but she insists that he remain head of her security detail, using her influence with the current president to get her way. When she's kidnapped, however, Chesnic's feelings change.
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Guarding Tess

Critics Reviews

View All (35) Critics Reviews
Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com There is an empathetic grace to Guarding Tess that’s timeless. Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 19, 2024 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Leonard Klady Variety The film is indeed likable. But director Hugh Wilson, who co-wrote the script with Peter Torokvei, just skims the surface of potentially rich territory. Sep 19, 2008 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an erratic yet rewarding star vehicle. Rated: 3/4 Aug 31, 2019 Full Review Malcolm Johnson Hartford Courant Maclaine's performance as Tess Carlisle, which shifts from polite witchiness to lonely, mildly boozy poignancy, adds up to the only real reason to see this potentially funny and revealing, but actually rather humdrum duodrama. Jun 6, 2018 Full Review Quentin Curtis Independent on Sunday Too often Guarding Tess feels like a sketch towards a movie. Dec 8, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (356) audience reviews
Audience Member Cage and McClaine are a dynamic duo but the film has such drastic tonal shifts it feels imbalanced. It should’ve been more of a quirky buddy comedy. So much of these quirky and dramatic scenes don’t mesh very well with each other. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review ed w ***** cast & script, a roller coaster of smiles & tears Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/12/23 Full Review mela k Great acting, great story. Lots of movies that include a mystery aren't any fun to re-watch because we already know the answer, but I keep coming back to this one anyway. It's become one of my favorites. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review John R SPOILERS This is such an odd movie. In terms of tone, it starts off as a situational comedy, morphs into a romantic (?) comedy and then becomes a crime thriller for about 15 minutes before taking on the tone of a sports movie right after they win the big game (with a hint of romantic comedy coming back in right at the end). It was extremely jarring to have the old lady kidnapped, and then a scene later have Nic Cage screaming in a hospital room that there's no time as he blows off the driver's toes one by one (the only moment in the film where Nic Cage truly shines in all of his brilliance). Then, for some reason, he isn't immediately removed from duty and gets to be the hero of digging his protectee out of the hole in the ground where she's been hidden. There's also the whole brain tumor thing. Like, way to bury the lead! And then never have it come up again. Just genuinely weird. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/16/22 Full Review Audience Member Not sure how I never saw this growing up but figured I'd get in a previously unseen Cage movie before hopefully seeing Unbearable Weight tonight. For most if the runtime this movie felt like the kind of standard, "safe", family style comedy I'd expect to see in the mid 90s with Cage playing his role pretty straight. Then about three quarters of the way through the film takes a hard right tonally, as Cage starts to give his character a little more flair, and of the sort only Nic Cage can. While likely never becoming a memorable film for me at this stage, the rating definitely improved with the final act. 5.5/10 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member With lockdown we rewatched this for about the 10th time. It's a funny movie and Shirley MacLaine is very good in it. It's subtle, it's not a blow things up Nick Cage action flick so don't expect lots of action. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Guarding Tess

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Cast & Crew

Guarding Tess

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Shirley MacLaine Makes Her Getaway Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Shirley MacLaine Makes Her Getaway 1:07 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Get In The God Damn Wheelchair Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Get In The God Damn Wheelchair 1:36 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - LOL! Nicolas Cage Embarrasses Shirley MacLaine Guarding Tess: Official Clip - LOL! Nicolas Cage Embarrasses Shirley MacLaine 2:46 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Am I Secret Service or A Caddy? Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Am I Secret Service or A Caddy? 4:09 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - HAHAHA! The President Yells at Nicolas Cage! Guarding Tess: Official Clip - HAHAHA! The President Yells at Nicolas Cage! 2:26 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Battle of the Stubborn A-holes Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Battle of the Stubborn A-holes 1:37 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Holy Sh*t! They BURIED HER ALIVE! Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Holy Sh*t! They BURIED HER ALIVE! 7:21 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Nicolas Cage Goes BALLISTIC and Shoots A Toe Off! Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Nicolas Cage Goes BALLISTIC and Shoots A Toe Off! 4:33 Guarding Tess: Official Clip - How The First Lady Goes Grocery Shopping Guarding Tess: Official Clip - How The First Lady Goes Grocery Shopping 1:22 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage), an agent with the Secret Service Uniformed Division, is assigned to protect former first lady Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine). Chesnic finds the job demeaning and a challenge because of Tess' high-maintenance personality and petty demands. He's desperate to get another assignment, but she insists that he remain head of her security detail, using her influence with the current president to get her way. When she's kidnapped, however, Chesnic's feelings change.
Director
Hugh Wilson
Producer
Nancy Graham Tanen, Ned Tanen
Screenwriter
Hugh Wilson, PJ Torokvei
Production Co
TriStar Pictures, Channel Films
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.2M
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Surround
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