Guarding Tess (1994)

Guarding Tess is a 1994 American comedy-drama film starring Shirley MacLaine and Nicolas Cage, directed by Hugh Wilson. MacLaine plays a fictional former First Lady protected by an entourage of Secret Service agents, led by one whom she continually exasperates (Cage).

The film is set in Somersville, Ohio (in reality Parkton, Maryland) and was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1995 (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical: Shirley MacLaine).

Plot

Secret Service agent Doug Chesnic is in charge of a team stationed in Ohio to protect Tess Carlisle, the widow of a former U.S. president. Tess is known for her diplomatic and philanthropic work but seems to regard Doug less as a security officer and more as a domestic servant—not unlike her chauffeur, Earl, or her nurse, Frederick.

Doug's assignment with Tess ends after three years, and he is eager to be given a more challenging assignment. Tess decides that she wants him to stay, so Doug's assignment is extended.

Doug regards it as beneath his professional dignity to perform little chores around the house or bring Tess her breakfast in bed. When Doug defies her, Tess contacts a close friend—the current president of the United States—to express her displeasure. The annoyed President—under the impression that Doug is substandard—chastises him by phone.

The bickering between Doug and Tess continues, even in the car. While alone with Earl, Tess orders him to drive off, stranding her bodyguards. A humiliated Doug must phone the local sheriff—not for the first time—to be on the lookout for her. He fires Earl when they return, but Tess countermands that decision.

After returning from a hospital checkup, Tess is excited to learn that her son Barry is coming for a visit. Later, she is disappointed, as her son has come only to ask her to help promote his real estate business ventures. She refuses because in her mind, it would hurt her and her husband's legacy if the venture is questionable. Tess watches old television footage of her husband's funeral, concentrating on a glimpse of Doug among the mourners, overcome with grief. She makes an effort to get on his good side, sharing a drink and a late-night conversation. She explains that she is not close to her children, in part due to the awkward upbringing they had as a political family. Morale for the agents improves when Tess tells them that the President will be visiting her late husband's presidential library, but his subsequent cancellation lowers her spirits.

During a day out, Tess and Earl take off again, without Doug, on another apparent joy ride. When they don't return that night, Doug and his security detail realize that it was likely that Tess was kidnapped, and they contact the FBI. The investigation reveals that Tess's recent dizzy spells were caused by an inoperable brain tumor (about which she had indirectly told Doug) and the car is found with an unconscious Earl but no Tess. Earl has small crescent-shaped burns on the back of his neck, which Doug suspects were caused by Tess fighting back with the car's cigarette lighter.

Doug and FBI agent Schaeffer question Earl, who gets nervous and defensive when he sees Doug holding the lighter and attempts to frame him for the kidnapping. Furious, Doug threatens to shoot off Earl’s toes until he confesses where Tess is being held, going so far as to shoot one toe. Earl admits that Tess is being held captive by his sister and her husband.

The FBI and Secret Service raid the kidnappers' home and arrest them. When they find Tess buried alive beneath the floor of the farm's barn, Doug and his agents insist on doing the digging. Tess then insists that her Secret Service detail accompany her to the hospital and other officials must remove themselves from the rescue helicopter.

Upon being released from the hospital, Tess refuses to obey the hospital rule that patients must be discharged in a wheelchair. Doug tells her, using her first name for the first time, "Tess, get in the God damn chair." After a pause, Tess complies, pats Doug's hand and says, "Very good, Douglas. You're going to be all right."

Cast

Shirley MacLaine as First Lady Tess Carlisle

Nicolas Cage as Secret Service Agent Doug Chesnic

Austin Pendleton as Earl Fowler

Edward Albert as Barry Carlisle

James Rebhorn as FBI Agent Howard Schaeffer

Richard Griffiths as Frederick

John Roselius as Secret Service Agent Tom Bahlor

David Graf as Secret Service Agent Lee Danielson

Don Yesso as Secret Service Agent Ralph Buoncristiani

James Lally as Secret Service Agent Joe Spector

Brant von Hoffman as Secret Service Agent Bob Hutcherson

Harry J. Lennix as Secret Service Agent Kenny Young

Susan Blommaert as Kimberly Cannon

Dale Dye as CIA Agent Charles Ivy

James Handy as Secret Service Director Neal Carlo

Hugh Wilson as The President (voice)

Production

In July 1992, it was reported that Hugh Wilson would be writing and directing Guarding Tess at Paramount Pictures for producer Scott Rudin. In October of that year, it was reported that Shirley MacLaine had been cast in the titular role. Paramount initially planned produce Guarding Tess for an intended release in the second half of 1993, but following the departure of studio head Brandon Tartikoff, Paramount's new head, Sherry Lansing, was not receptive to the script Wilson had developed with PJ Torokvei. As stars Shirley MacLaine and Nicolas Cage had pay-or-play deals in place, Lansing gave Wilson a window of time to set the film up elsewhere otherwise Paramount would make the film for a reduced budget. As the film conflicted with his project Addams Family Values, Rudin left the project as a producer. TriStar Pictures picked up the film where Ned and Nancy Graham Tanen took on producing duties.

Reception

Guarding Tess received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 57% rating based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted-average score of 50 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. The Washington Post described it as derivative of other recent films Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Bodyguard (1992), and In the Line of Fire (1993), and decries "the melodramatic turnaround that sabotages the last section of the movie", but describes "the comic tension between MacLaine and Cage" as being "so well done, it doesn't matter how dumb things get".

The film grossed $27 million in the United States and Canada but only $3.8 million internationally for a worldwide total of $30.8 million.

The Secret Service did not cooperate with the production, unlike the contemporary In the Line of Fire. Secret Service Agent Jay Nasworthy in 2024 described Guarding Tess as "fairly accurate for a small detail".

References

External links

Guarding Tess at IMDb

Guarding Tess at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Guarding Tess at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films