You don't often see supermarket price checks used as the basis for a joke in a movie. It's even rarer to find a Hollywood film which relies on subtle character humor instead of the usual slapstick. However, Guarding Tess is able to be different by focusing on the magnificent battle of wills between its two formidable lead characters. Shirley MacLaine plays Tess Carlisle, a widowed former First Lady who personifies the adored public persona who is overbearing in private. While appearing harmless in outfits complete with matching coat, shoes, pillbox hat, and umbrella, Tess relies on a sarcastic wit and condescending remarks to force her Secret Service agents to comply to her every whim. These range from requiring the men to leave their handguns outside her bedroom door to accompanying her on a golf outing in the snow. Assigned to guard Tess is Agent Doug Chesnic (Nicholas Cage), whose fervent attention to the rule book equals his desire to be in the thick of the action. This proves a challenge when confronted with the demanding Tess and her low profile location in rural Ohio. Throughout Guarding Tess, the personalities of Tess and Doug evolve as we find out that (surprise!) they really like each other. While this twist could have become sappy and predictable, the well-written script accompanied by the considerable talents of Cage and MacLaine succeed in making the transition believable -- almost. The last twenty minutes prove that while director and co-writer Hugh Wilson (Police Academy) can create characters with depth, he still can't help resorting to formula, as he inserts a forced kidnap plot. Equally frustrating is the fact that the powerful Tess, when faced with a conflict of wills, is always forced to surrender to Doug's orders or use the influence of the current president to regain control of the situation. This is a movie at its best when it relies on character interaction -- like in the scene where the Secret Service agents are forced to take Tess to the opera when most of them would rather be home watching Mr. Ed, or when the agents use their walkie-talkies to perform price checks on canned peas. Unfortunately, Guarding Tess doesn't stick to clever situations like these. They never grow tiresome, and one wishes that there were more of them.
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