Straightforward but enjoyable comedy that sees Cage and MacLaine going at it hammer and tongs -- although not in that sense.
Comment
09/19/08
Guarding Tess (1994)
57
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:30
Fresh:17
Rotten:13
Average Rating:5.5/10
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Tess Carlisle is the widow of a former United States President. A quarrelsome older woman, she's known for her belligerent manner and her blatant disregard for protocol. For Doug Chesnic, the... [More]
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert
Director: Hugh Wilson
Reviews for Guarding Tess
Top CriticCage is on best behaviour here, but he's not an especially sympathetic performer.
06/24/06
Top CriticCompetently executed and entertaining, chiefly due to the first-rate performances of stars Cage and MacLaine.
09/19/08
Top CriticThey should have pulled her detail.
02/14/03
No review available.
08/26/02
Enough cannot be said about Cage and MacLaine's performances and their obvious chemistry together -- and it's fair to say that they more than make up for the film's lapses.
01/01/00
No review available.
11/07/05
What counts is the comic tension between MacLaine and Cage. It's so well done, it doesn't matter how dumb things get.
01/01/00
No review available.
06/14/05
Speaks to the universal human yearning for someone to watch over us.
07/18/03
There are lots of laughs in this picture, and though at one point he teeters perilously on the brink of mush and gush, Wilson manages to regain his gently caustic comic footing.
01/01/00
There are a few good jokes, some solid chemistry between the leads, and a little pathos, but it all doesn't add up to very much.
01/01/00
A chance to watch two great actors shine in rich, funny, real roles.
11/07/02
A fun idea, blandly executed
03/19/04
Mr. Cage, once again sounding mock-suave and Elvisy, makes the most of his character's fragile cool.
05/20/03
Top CriticSo-so sitcom-like star comedy.
06/16/03
When you get down to it, this film ain't much more than a corny melodrama. Still, it's a really involving, deeply sweet film that just makes you feel good.
09/10/02
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.
09/19/08
Top CriticI was on set the day they filmed the opera scene.
08/15/02
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