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This is what happens an uppity-crust, strongly self-willed, ex-First Lady, Tess(Shirley MacLaine), is forced to be guarded by the US Secret Service. Having minnute-by-minute, every day contact with a dead-pan serious & extremely bored Secret Service Agent (Nicolas Cage) isn't this fiesty First Lady legend's idea of having a private life. Being assigned to guard Tess, who is deemed to be a "national treasure" by the current President of the United States, isn't this eager-to-see-action Secret Service Agent's idea of a satisfying career, either. Sharp but quirky comical embattlements make sparks fly between them. Although, the elder woman almost succeeds in winning every minor battle: except one. Cage's character wants to be assigned to more significant duty as a Secret Service Agent. He longs to be directly involved in street action with his trusty gun, the one he's required by the Service to wear & required by Tess to leave outside of her bedroom. Tess's bedroom's where most of their unrelenting comcial battles take place. Cage feels diminished to a trained professional First-Lady-sitter, who's leading a crew to do detail work that involves finding out which aisle peas are on in the grocery store. This scene in the store where the agents use sophisticated telecommunications across aisles of non-lethal food (!) is priceless. Tess feels her privacy is constantly invaded. Since she's getting too old to care for herself without some assistance, she acts out her resentments by stubbornly refusing to sit in the limousine where she is most protected & assigned to sit, for instance. Cage's character orders her chauffeur to turn the motor off until Tess complies with Secret Service safety regulations & is buckled into her appropriate seat. Score one for the Agent. That's how their tit-for-tats go throughout the film: one comical struggle after another. Though the top Secret Service guy on detail (Cage) is humiliated by performing such menial tasks, he's developed a close & endearing attachment to the former First Lady. The question remains to be seen: will Tess ever do likewise with him? I can't imagine anyone else by MacLaine being capable of pulling off the brand of dead pan comical scenes while maintaining a very staunch arrogance of aristocracy. A story about playing Tess would be interesting in & of itself! Clearly MacLaine gives a master class performance on personifying a character to the hilt. And yet, MacLaine has the unique ability to become each character so convincingly for a film, then nearly immediately leave that character behind her as she moves into her next role. As an actor, MacLaine's got to be recognized as the century's best leading shape-shifter! Cage's character is primarily one dimensional: the ever dedicated to work guy. Cage carries his leading role quite well. However, he's more of a prop for this MacLaine vehicle than not. A talented prop, but nevertheless, a prop~Read full review
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