Guarding Tess

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2:20

Guarding Tess

PG-13,

1994,

1h 36m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Guarding Tess: Trailer 1

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Shirley MacLaine Makes Her Getaway

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Get In The God Damn Wheelchair

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - LOL! Nicolas Cage Embarrasses Shirley MacLaine

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Am I Secret Service or A Caddy?

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Holy Sh*t! They BURIED HER ALIVE!

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - HAHAHA! The President Yells at Nicolas Cage!

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Battle of the Stubborn A-holes

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Nicolas Cage Goes BALLISTIC and Shoots A Toe Off!

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - How The First Lady Goes Grocery Shopping

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Watchlist

55%

31 Reviews

Tomatometer

47%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

47%

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.

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Apr 19, 2024

3.5/4

There is an empathetic grace to Guarding Tess that’s timeless.

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Leonard Klady

Variety

Sep 19, 2008

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.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

Cage is on best behaviour here, but he's not an especially sympathetic performer.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Aug 31, 2019

3/4

...an erratic yet rewarding star vehicle.

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Malcolm L. Johnson

Hartford Courant

Jun 6, 2018

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.

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Quentin Curtis

Independent on Sunday

Dec 8, 2017

Too often Guarding Tess feels like a sketch towards a movie.

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Read all reviews

Hugh Wilson

Director

Shirley MacLaine

Tess Carlisle

Nicolas Cage

Doug Chesnic

Austin Pendleton

Earl Fowler

Edward Albert

Barry Carlisle

James Rebhorn

Howard Schaeffer

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Shirley MacLaine Makes Her Getaway

1:07

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Get In The God Damn Wheelchair

1:36

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - LOL! Nicolas Cage Embarrasses Shirley MacLaine

2:46

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Am I Secret Service or A Caddy?

4:09

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Holy Sh*t! They BURIED HER ALIVE!

7:21

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - HAHAHA! The President Yells at Nicolas Cage!

2:26

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Battle of the Stubborn A-holes

1:37

Now Playing

Guarding Tess: Official Clip - Nicolas Cage Goes BALLISTIC and Shoots A Toe Off!

4:33

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Guarding Tess: Official Clip - How The First Lady Goes Grocery Shopping

1:22

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Guarding Tess: Trailer 1

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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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