A former U.S. First Lady wants a particular Secret Service agent to head her bodyguard detail, even though he can't stand her.
Director:
Hugh Wilson
From metacritic.com
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Title: Guarding Tess (1994)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Shirley MacLaine | ... | Tess Carlisle | |
| Nicolas Cage | ... | Doug Chesnic | |
| 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 (as Brant Von Hoffman) | |
| Harry Lennix | ... | Kenny Young (as Harry J. Lennix) | |
| Susan Blommaert | ... | Kimberly Cannon | |
| Dale Dye | ... | Charles Ivy | |
| James Handy | ... | Neal Carlo | |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Storyline
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. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Keywords:
secret service | bodyguard | u.s. president | widow | reference to spiro agnew |Taglines:
A comedy beyond the call of duty. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 March 1994 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Un ange gardien pour Tess See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$20,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$7,065,213, 13 March 1994Gross USA:
$27,058,304Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$27,058,304Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
[pause]
Tess Carlisle: I have bought you and your men a scud missile launcher.
[pause]
Tess Carlisle: We are going to the opera in Columbus. Which of those do you think is true?
Doug Chesnic: When?
See more »
from "Die Entführung aus dem Serail"
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Wiener Symphoniker and Bruno Weil, Güther Missenhardt, Elzbieta Szmytka
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Austin Pendelton and James Rebhorn both were characters in My Cousin Vinny (1992) See more »Goofs
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. See more »Quotes
Tess Carlisle: [in her bedroom] I have some exciting news for you. I have an inoperable brain tumor.[pause]
Tess Carlisle: I have bought you and your men a scud missile launcher.
[pause]
Tess Carlisle: We are going to the opera in Columbus. Which of those do you think is true?
Doug Chesnic: When?
See more »
Soundtracks
Ich Gehe, Doch Rate Ich Dirfrom "Die Entführung aus dem Serail"
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Wiener Symphoniker and Bruno Weil, Güther Missenhardt, Elzbieta Szmytka
Courtesy of Sony Classical
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
See more »
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Nicholas Cage is "Guarding Tess" in this 1994 film starring Shirley MacLaine, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, Richard Griffiths, and James Rebhorn. Shirley MacLaine is a much beloved ex-first lady who has Secret Service protection, and one of her protectees, Doug Chesnic (Cage) is thrilled when his round of duty is over. However, Tess makes a request of the president (her husband's vice president) to let Doug stay on a little longer. Annoyed, Doug starts standing up to her more, bringing on himself the wrath of the President of United States, who's sick of hearing from her. Doug and Tess finally start bonding - she in a way she could never do with her own son - and then something happens that threatens both of them in different ways.
I love Nicholas Cage in comedy - "Honeymoon in Vegas" comes to mind - and he has some hilarious moments in this as Tess and his situation become more aggravating to him. He does a terrific job. Shirley MacLaine is wonderful as Tess - feisty, annoying, vulnerable, and sad.
This is a very sweet and funny film and not at all cloying. It's a little contrived; however, the performances really make it a good rental.