The Guest

Starring: Dan Stevens, Sheila Kelly, Maika Monroe, Joel David Moore, Brendan Meyer, Leland Orser, Lance Reddick, Tabatha Shaun, Chase Williamson, Ethan Embry
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Peterson family mourns their eldest son, killed in combat. Their lives are upended when an army buddy (Dan Stevens) of their son arrives, immediately influencing the family in different ways.

Review:

Tim: I was a bit surprised by Adam Wingard's The Guest. It looked like a fairly generic film, a throwaway movie like dozens of others. It absolutely has flaws and it gets close to the lower level of good, but it has a number of nice strengths as well. I'd summarize this as a good movie- one that just manages to exceed expectations with some unexpected twists and turns. I found myself enjoying the movie and looking forward to what came next.

The film feels like it crosses multiple genres as the film proceeds. At first, it almost feels like a drama- we see a fractured family, mourning the loss of their soldier son. None of the remaining family members (Mom, Dad, brother, sister) are unchanged by the loss of the eldest son. Their slowly spiraling life is suddenly changed when the deceased son's army buddy, David, shows up. During the early part of the film, we spend time on character development, getting to know these characters and their pain. As the movie moves along, it starts to change. At first, it almost feels like it's hinting at romance, then it veers into feeling like a thriller. Something is amiss with David. The mystery increases exponentially and we get suspenseful themes as it leans into that genre. Then, for a little while, the movie seems to dive deep into the action pool. Suddenly, the movie amps up the violence and the gunfights in pure testosterone-filled action sequences. Finally, the movie seems to settle into almost horror- perhaps what it wanted to be all along. I loved Wingard's ability to play with different genres. It made this film feel especially unique. I'm not quite sure how to categorize it. It defies easy explanation, which is the thing I loved most about it.

Now, playing with genres is cool, but it does make the film feel disjointed. The dramatic, romantic, and thriller aspects all felt more aligned and extensions of each other. The film's odd swing into action movie territory felt discombobulating. I liked the action scenes, but it felt weird to watch it make that leap. Then, the movie really becomes almost a horror movie at the end, which is when the film is least effective. I didn't really care how it all ended up- it started to feel predictable, a bit absurd, and hard to take seriously. I enjoyed the wild ride, but I wasn't all that invested by the end.

The cast is solid. I really like Dan Stevens and I'm fascinated to watch whatever he does. I'm not sure if this was a "great" performance, but it's an intriguing one. He's called upon to show quite a bit of range in the role. At times, we love him. At times, he's chilling. At times, he's misunderstood. And ultimately, we might feel ambiguity and frightened by him. It's an interesting performance to see how he shifts his character as the film progresses. I didn't quite love his performance- it feels too forced and restrained at times- but it does show you he has real talent as an actor. Maika Monroe was solid- she eventually feels like just another "horror movie heroine", but she has nice moments throughout the film. Sheila Kelly gave a strong performance, and Leland Orser was great in his supporting role. I loved seeing Lance Reddick in an unexpected supporting performance- he's good as always. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ethan Embry in a small supporting role. Brendan Meyer was fine. Joel David Moore was solid. As a whole, I mostly enjoyed the cast and their performances.

The Guest is worth seeing because you look at the cover and you think you know what you're going to get. Wingard delivers something more ambitious, more unexpected. That truly helps differentiate this movie and make it memorable. It's a good film, but it definitely has flaws. Playing with and crossing genres made for a very entertaining viewing, but I couldn't ignore the disjointed feeling pervading the film. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing this movie again someday- flaws and all, it's a fun, unique experience.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7


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