Cage, in clean-shaven, hapless nice-guy mode, plays a by-the-book US Secret Service agent, Doug Chesnic, whose exasperating and unglamorous assignment is heading the permanent bodyguard team detailed to president's widow Tess Carlisle (MacLaine). Former First Lady Tess is a beloved national icon, but she is a crotchety, heavy tippling, imperious grande dame who tyrannises her staff and takes particular delight in humiliating Doug. Understandably, he endeavours to be re-assigned to happening Washington D.C., and the antagonistic duo engage in an on-going battle of wills.
Basically the odd-couple formula applies: testy Tess and her frustrated watchdog - who are surrounded by a potentially colourful but understated staff including Austin Pendleton, Richard Griffiths and Doug's indistinguishable besuited fellow agents - stubbornly clash until their acknowledged mother-son affection is revealed by a dramatic crisis.
MacLaine bravely plays Tess as an ancient bag, but it was a misjudgement from her and writer/director Wilson to make her quite so unyielding and uncomedically annoying, while Cage's Doug is also too much on one note for them to rouse the required endearment out of a largely uneventful and slovenly script.