The Guest

Dir. Adam Wingard 100 Minutes

USA 2014

Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, Lance Reddick

***1/2/***** It is not a particular surprise that Adam Wingard's The Guest is as entertaining and engaging as it is, but that its script manages to take a deceptively simple premise and execute it with a balance of almost zero fat AND a wide, sprawling scope of mythology, giving the solution to some mysteries and leaving others for interpretation, may ignite some interest in potential skeptics. And it is also quite funny too, with the humor feeling solidly in place in this bizarre world rather than thrown in for good measure (something that made You're Next not entirely work as it felt like it was trying to appease multiple desires rather than work on its own agenda). The film starts with the Peterson family trying to rebuild themselves following the death of their son in military action, but soon knocked off their toes at the arrival of David (nicely referred to as "David" in the end credits), a ripped, blonde, and blue-eyed soldier who claims to have been friends with the Peterson progeny (and, hey! there is even a photo of them on the wall in the living room!). The family somewhat reluctantly takes David in, but bodies quickly begin to follow up causing curious, but rebellious, daughter Anna to do some investigating into the guests past. 

The first hour feels like familiar territory, but individual scenes work in both their pure entertainment and, perhaps especially, Dan Stevens' terrific performance, somehow working a blend of creepy stoicism, calm and charismatic demeanor, and superhuman attractiveness in nearly every scene, with the dominant characteristic really being elevated based simply on what the moment calls for both in the narrative and for the viewer at that point (a confrontation in a road side bar is so well-structured in telling the already knowing audience that something bad WILL transpire, but the "how", "why," "when", elements feel entirely up in the air so-much-so that when the violent climax finally takes place it is both unfortunately too soon because the scene is great fun, and an unbearably long wait because the suspense is so well-orchestrated. And there are cosmopolitans). 

Once some answers are given as to the "true" nature of David's being, the picture moves into a more "batshit" mode, and the introduction of Lance Reddick's character has the humor tone switch gears from situational to a bit more broad (it is certainly funny for a gun-toting Reddick to have to remember the way out of an elaborate funhouse maze, and matches the shift, but it reaches a level of blatant absurdity rather than the earlier scenes humor of confusion, like the Peterson patriarch offering David a drink at every turn, or reluctantly offering the information that the brutal death of his boss has led to him receiving a promotion). In its totality, the film is great fun and so happily goes beyond that adjective in its thoughtful and well-written script, greatly anchored, performed, and perhaps most importantly, understood by Stevens' extremely manically commitment to the bit. October 16th, 2019