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 CriticI was on set the day they filmed the opera scene.
08/15/02
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
MacLaine and Cage are really very good here.
01/01/00
Top CriticNo review available.
11/07/05
No review available.
02/18/05
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
Comedically challenged piffle. This one hardly even seems to be trying.
07/26/02
No review available.
06/14/05
No review available.
08/26/02
No review available.
07/20/03
They should have pulled her detail.
02/14/03
A fun idea, blandly executed
03/19/04
No review available.
02/14/03
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
So-so sitcom-like star comedy.
06/16/03
A chance to watch two great actors shine in rich, funny, real roles.
11/07/02
Mr. Cage, once again sounding mock-suave and Elvisy, makes the most of his character's fragile cool.
05/20/03
Top CriticFor the first half-hour, the tension between Cage and MacLaine makes for some truly funny moments, but then it seems as if director Hugh Wilson called a wrap too early.
05/20/03
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