Movie World: Guarding Tess

How many different spins have their been on the "buddy film"? From The Odd Couple to Lethal Weapon, it seems that just about every angle has been covered. Then along comes a movie like Guarding Tess that thinks it has a unique twist to this tried-and-true theme. However, an unusual pairing doesn't equate to a noteworthy picture.

Since the death of her late husband the President, former First Lady Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) has been living in a house in Sommersville, Ohio, under the watchful eye of Secret Service agent Doug Chesnick (Nicolas Cage) and his team of six. Just when Doug thinks his term of duty is over, Tess requests that he return for another three years, and what Tess wants, Tess gets. So, against his will (his alternative is the unemployment line), Doug remains in Sommersville, where his already-brittle relationship with the aging widow turns into an open contest of wills.

Driving Miss Daisy did it much better, but there are some shared themes between the 1989 Academy Award winning film and Hugh Wilson's Guarding Tess. Both are about two mismatched people coming to know and appreciate each other, and eventually realizing how important their relationship is. This, the central theme of every "buddy film", lies at the core of Guarding Tess. Only the details surrounding it have changed to fit the situation.

The story is not especially original. Mostly predictable, Guarding Tess is light on surprises, but that's a given for any film that falls even loosely into a formula category. Despite a slow start, the movie eventually slips into a congenial flow. Unfortunately, Guarding Tess ends up derailing because of a ill-conceived ending that has something to do with a silly kidnapping subplot.

The comedy is mostly low-key, and much of it works. Coming from writer/director Hugh Wilson, the man behind the original Police Academy, it's surprising to find a motion picture whose laugh-to-joke ratio is relatively high. Guarding Tess relies far more on verbal jousting and body language than on slapstick and other ridiculous gags.

Nicolas Cage carries the movie. Normally know for his manic on-screen antics, it's interesting to see Cage in a restrained performance. The harnessed emotion is always there, just beneath the surface, waiting to break free. Shirley MacLaine does a reasonable job as Tess, and holds her own in scenes with her co-star, although her magnetism isn't as palpable. The rest of the cast, including such familiar names as Austin Pendleton and James Rebhorn, provide adequate support.

Ultimately, while Guarding Tess is genial and amusing, it lacks any semblance of originality. 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. The ingredients are there, but the final product hasn't been prepared to its best advantage.