Kirpianuscus Maybe, the chemistry between Shirley McLaine and Nicholas Cage represents the lead virtue of this bitter comedy. And the good reason to see it as not the best but decent story about old age, solitude, eccentricity, duty, loyalty and friendship. Its end is really touching and a good revanche to few not reasonable holes. Short, a nice film. For actors more than the script.

Davis P Guarding Tess is a pretty weak film overall despite it's A list cast. Even though good actors like Shirley MacLaine and Nicholas Cage drive the movie, it still falls flat because of its weak storyline and weak script. The acting is alright, Cage does a fair job with his role, I've seen better from him, but it's definitely not his worst. Shirley MacLaine is actually fairly good in her starring role, has the persona/attitude down pretty well. The storyline and script is what fails with this film. The storyline just simply doesn't live up to great comedy or being in the least bit entertaining. And if a the lackluster plot isn't enough to make this one fail all together, it's the poorly written script, the very weak dialogue between the characters throughout the film. The script is supposed to be funny, to provide amusing lines and situations where the audience would at least get a chuckle out of what's happening on screen, but we as the audience never really get that. It's a shame too, because I think this film had some real potential, but it ultimately is just a very forgettable movie. Even A-list Hollywood actors sometimes can't save a movie like this..... Guarding Tess gets a 3 out of 10.

bob the moo Doug Chesnic is a secret service agent who happily welcomes his final day guarding Tess Carlisle, the crotchety widow of a former US President. Doug returns to Washington having just about managed to deal with her even when she is at her most difficult – however he has no regrets when it becomes his time to rotate back onto active duty in another assignment. However it transpires that Mrs Carlisle has already called the President and requested that Doug be returned to work her protection duty permanently. Unable to say "no" to a Presidential request, Doug begrudgingly returns to a role that is more butler and nursemaid than it is protection.A very average little affair this film. At first it seems like an amiable if totally unremarkable comedy with the lead two actors bouncing off one another if an enjoyable enough way. This makes up the majority of the film and, although it is instantly forgettable, it is quite pleasing. Cage and MacLaine work it well enough in their respective characters and they have an uneasy chemistry that suits the material. However in the final third it suddenly all goes to pot.It was always going to have a dramatic ending of sorts and I think, given the protector/protected dynamic that it was predictable that Tess was going to be in some sort of peril that Doug needs to save her from. However the way it does it really sucks the life out of the film and the very light touch of the majority means that it can't cope with even a slight knock. Suddenly it becomes all melodramatic and soft, like it has just flopped down to the floor and lost what little spark it did have; it is a really disappointing way for the film to turn out. The support cast add vague interest with faces such as Pendleton, Griffiths and a few others but mostly there is nothing for them to work with.Overall then, an amiable enough film in the main but nothing that you will remember for very long. Sadly what you will remember is the way the final third plummets into mediocrity and melodrama, extinguishing any spark or enjoyment that it may have had in the first part.

moonspinner55 It seemed like a surefire idea for a comedic star-vehicle: Shirley MacLaine as an infuriatingly stubborn former First Lady whose love-hate relationship with Secret Service Agent Nicolas Cage is tested when she's apparently kidnapped. Director Hugh Wilson, who also co-wrote the screenplay, doesn't just have a sitcom sense of priorities--he formulates each scene into a situation as well ("The golfing scene", "The supermarket scene", etc.). Until tragedy brings everyone together, the characters are fairly exasperating--and, since the characters also function as gags, the "comedy" is rather mean-spirited. MacLaine probably felt a little persnickety jabbering would goose the proceedings, yet there's far too much bickering back and forth between she and Cage, and both fall back on their proved shtick (MacLaine certainly on her Aurora Greenway from "Terms of Endearment"). Wilson has a tough time getting this one started and, though it does improve after a strenuous first half, the film's underlying emotion comes off just as fraudulent as the witticisms. *1/2 from ****