5/30/11

To Live and Dine in L.A. : THE PERFECT HOST

Nick Tomnay's, The Perfect Host is a clever little thriller that serves up twists, shocks and even a few laughs.

Clayne Crawford plays John Taylor, a charismatic criminal who is trying to outrun the law after he pulls off a daring mid-day bank hold- up.  Realizing that the police are hot on his trail, our bad boy worms his way into the swanky Bel Air home of Warwick Wilson (David Hyde Pierce), a seemingly fastidious man planning a dinner party.  Initially, John misrepresents himself as a friend of a friend whose luggage was lost at the airport but eventually Warwick discovers who Wilson really is...and then the fun begins.

The secret to enjoying The Perfect Host, is to know as little about it as possible, and so, I will not reveal anything more about the plot here.  Suffice to say, if you like mind games, turned tables, red herrings and surprising twists and turns, this one is for you.

Major kudos to the principals; Hyde Pierce is a revelation as the titular character, and if you only know him as Frazier Crane's fussy brother, prepare to be pleasantly surprised (that said, there is something of Niles Crane in Warwick Wilson, but that's just the tip of this iceberg, baby).  Meanwhile, Clayne Crawford plays the hell out of John Taylor...is he a desperado, a dupe, a sociopath, or just a love-sick guy who made a foolish choice?  Well, you'll have to watch the film to decide.

Finally, in taking the theme of a so called "home invasion" and turning it on it's ear, The Perfect Host is a welcome piece of intelligent, witty, and bloody fabulous film making.

The Perfect Host is currently On Demand and hits theaters later in June.

2 comments:

Prospero said...

I'm a big fan of Hyde-Pierce and loved him "Curtains" on Broadway. I wish I had the time to check it out right now...

Patricia Perry said...

I caught this via OnDemand over the weekend. Hyde Pierce and Crawford play off each other magnificently. Nice review - and good on you for NOT revealing much. The best part of "The Perfect Host" is that you can't really see any of the plot twists coming.