Guarding Tess
A comedy beyond the call of duty.
1994 | 96m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Hugh Wilson |
|---|---|
| Writer: | PJ Torokvei, Hugh Wilson |
| Staring: |
| Doug is a Secret Service Agent who has just completed his stint in charge protecting Tess Carlisle—the widow of a former U.S. President, and a close personal friend of the current President. He finds that she has requested that he not be rotated but instead return to be her permanent detail. Doug is crushed, and—after returning—wants off her detail as she is very difficult to guard and makes her detail crazy with her whims and demands. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 11, 1994 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Hugh Wilson |
| Writer: | PJ Torokvei, Hugh Wilson |
| Genres: | Comedy, Drama |
| Keywords | bodyguard, national security agency (nsa), celebrity, security guard |
| Production Companies | TriStar Pictures, Channel Films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $27,058,304
Budget: $20,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 30, 2025 (Update) Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Shirley MacLaine | Tess Carlisle |
| Nicolas Cage | Doug Chesnic |
| Austin Pendleton | Earl |
| Edward Albert | Barry Carlisle |
| James Rebhorn | Howard Shaeffer |
| Richard Griffiths | Frederick |
| John Roselius | Tom Bahlor |
| David Graf | Lee Danielson |
| Don Yesso | Ralph Buoncristiani |
| James Lally | Joe Spector |
| Brant von Hoffman | Bob Hutcherson |
| Harry Lennix | Kenny Young |
| Susan Blommaert | Kimberly Cannon |
| Dale Dye | Charles Ivy |
| James Handy | Neal Carlo |
| Stephen S. Chen | Jimmy |
| Katie O'Hara | Barbara |
| Mark Conway | Caleb Harrison |
| David L. King | Derrick Hastings |
| Jane Beard | Kidnapper |
| Michael Gabel | Kidnapper |
| Kelly Williams | Mr. Porter |
| Beverly Brigham | Autograph Seeker |
| Teman Treadway | FBI Man |
| Kyle Duvall | FBI Man |
| Andrew C. Boothby | FBI Man |
| Sharief Paris | FBI Man |
| Gary Glaesser | FBI Man |
| Brian Deenihan | Plainclothes Guard |
| Julie Kurzava | Opera Singer |
| Michael Consoli | Opera Singer |
| Hugh Wilson | The President (voice) |
| Brenna McDonough | Doctor |
| John Leonard Thompson | Young Doctor |
| Saige Spinney | Waitress |
| Gerald F. Gough | Store Manager |
| George Gomes | James Carlisle |
| Bob Child | Shaeffer's Assistant |
| John Louis Fischer | Crew Member |
| Diana Sowle | Hairdresser |
| Maggie Linton | Carlo's Secretary |
| Jim Hild | Helicopter Doctor |
| Will Bellais | Major Domo |
| Matilde Valera | Yvonne Hernandez |
| Marie Mackenzie | Nurse |
| Al Cerullo | Helicopter Pilot |
| Michael Echols | Orderly |
| Michael Ahl | Businessman (uncredited) |
| James A. Howard | Store Customer (uncredited) |
| Mark Norris | FBI Agent (uncredited) |
| Mike Rademaekers | Bar Patron (uncredited) |
| Carolyn Rawleigh | Restaurant Patron (uncredited) |
| Noble Willingham | Sheriff Janson (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Sidney Levin | Editor |
| Charley Beal | Art Direction |
| Aleta Chappelle | Casting |
| Allen Weisinger | Key Makeup Artist |
| Sue Gandy | Costume Design |
| James Sabat | Sound Mixer |
| Joshua A. Burwell | Greensman |
| Peter S. Larkin | Production Design |
| Kerry Hayes | Still Photographer |
| Leslie E. Rollins | Set Decoration |
| Mary Ann Kellogg | Choreographer |
| Sean Kelly | Stunts |
| Kenneth Wannberg | Music Editor |
| Brian J. Reynolds | Director of Photography |
| Selena Evans-Miller | Makeup Artist |
| Vera Mitchell | Key Hair Stylist |
| PJ Torokvei | Screenplay |
| Hugh Wilson | Screenplay, Director |
| Ann Roth | Costume Design |
| Jonathan Filley | Unit Production Manager |
| Victoria Sampson | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Colleen Callaghan | Hairstylist |
| Jery Hewitt | Stunt Coordinator, Stunts |
| Don Hewitt Sr. | Stunts |
| Chuck Jeffreys | Stunts |
| Gregg Smrz | Stunts |
| Michael Convertino | Original Music Composer |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Nancy Graham Tanen | Producer |
| Ned Tanen | Producer |
| Jonathan Filley | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 21 | 38 | 13 |
| 2024 | 5 | 22 | 42 | 14 |
| 2024 | 6 | 19 | 27 | 13 |
| 2024 | 7 | 20 | 41 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 15 | 30 | 10 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 25 | 6 |
| 2024 | 12 | 13 | 22 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 27 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Trending Position
Shirley MacLaine ("Tess") is on good form in this rather daft tale of a pretty cantankerous former First Lady who has a running battle with her Secret Service agent Nicolas Cage ("Doug") as he tries to keep her within his security protocols - an exasperating task that is mostly an uphill struggle. A ... series of fun face-offs ensue as she and her team - chef Richard Griffiths and chauffeur Austin Pendleton run the poor old Cage ragged before, unexpectedly, she goes and gets herself into a bit of bother that mobilises just about the entire nation. "Tess" has got some good one-liners and there is a fair amount of chemistry between the pair as their love/hate relationship begins to pan out in this quite watchable comedy drama.