Guarding Tess movie storyline. Doug is a Secret Service Agent who has just completed his stint in charge protecting Tess Carlisle, widow of a former U.S. President, and close personal friend of the President. He finds that she has requested that he not be rotated but instead return to be her permanent detail. Doug is crushed. He wants off her detail. She is very difficult to guard and makes her detail crazy with her whims and demands. Doug returns with no idea of how to continue dealing with her.
Guarding Tess is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Hugh Wilson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, James Rebhorn, Richard Griffiths, Susan Blommaert, John Roselius and James Handy. MacLaine plays a fictional former First Lady protected by an entourage of Secret Service agents led by one she continually exasperates (Cage).
The film is set in Somersville, Ohio (played by Parkton, Maryland and nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1995 (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical: Shirley MacLaine).
About the Story
Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) is a Secret Service agent who takes great pride in his job, performing his duties with the utmost professionalism. His assignment for the last three years has been a severe test of his patience. Doug is in charge of a team stationed in Ohio to protect Tess Carlisle (SHirley MacLaine, the widow of a former U.S. President.
Tess is well 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 regards it as beneath his professional dignity to perform little chores around the house or bring Tess her breakfast in bed. Tess orders him to do so, even to fetch her ball during a round of golf. Any time Doug defies her, Tess contacts a close friend – the current President of the United States – to express her displeasure. The annoyed President then phones Doug.
Doug’s three-year hitch with Tess comes to an end, so he is eager to be given a more exciting and challenging assignment. But Tess has decided that she wants him to stay, and, as usual, she gets her way. Their bickering continues, even in the car. Alone there with Earl for a minute, 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 manages to countermand that decision as well.
After she returns from a hospital checkup, Tess watches old television footage of her husband’s funeral, concentrating on a momentary glimpse of Doug among the mourners, overcome with grief. It is an indication that perhaps she keeps Doug around because she values his loyalty to her husband and his company. She makes an effort to get on his good side, sharing a drink and a late-night conversation. Morale for the agents improved when Tess tells them that the President would be visiting her late husband’s presidential library, but his subsequent cancellation lowered her spirits.
Guarding Tess (1994)
Directed by: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, James Rebhorn, Richard Griffiths, Susan Blommaert, John Roselius, James Handy
Screenplay by: Hugh Wilson, Peter Torokvei
Production Design by: Peter S. Larkin
Cinematography by: Brian J. Reynolds
Film Editing by: Sidney Levin
Costume Design by: Sue Gandy, Ann Roth
Set Decoration by: Leslie E. Rollins
Art Direction by: Charley Beal
Music by: Michael Convertino
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some language.
Distributed by: TriStar Pictures
Release Date: March 11, 1994
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