THE PERFECT HOST (Dir. Nick Tomnay, 2010)
As the affluent, refined Warwick Wilson, David Hyde Pierce can't help but bring a healthy bit of Niles Crane to the character. The major difference is Warwick is a demented psychopath who has dinner parties with his many imaginary friends - who just might be his hallucinations of the people he's murdered.
A very Ray Liotta-resembling Clayne Crawford, as a fugitive being hunted by the police for robbing a bank, accidentally crashes one of Pierce's parties in order to get off the streets.
This is a huge mistake Crawford soon learns as Pierce drugs his wine ("It's a cheeky little drop, isn't it?"), and he wakes up tied up at a table set for 6. We see the guests Pierce sees in some shots played by actors including Cooper Barnes, Tyrees Allen, and Annie Campbell, and they disapear in others.
A pyschological power play is at hand, with Pierce looking like he's having a blast as the cunning host who delights in showing off his scrapbook of polaroids of former party guests, and dancing in a non-existant conga lines.
In his drugged up stupor, Crawford flashes back to strained moments with girlfriend (Meghan Perry) where we learn she was an accomplice in his crime, and the film film randomly checks in with the Detectives (Joseph Will and Nathaniel Parker) who are on the trail.
Funnily enough, "I Am Woman" singer Helen Reddy has a cameo as a noisy neighbor.
For most of its running time "The Perfect Host" has an enjoyably wicked wit, mostly due to Pierce's sharp confident performance, but it breaks down a bit towards the end.
To say how would be too much of a spoiler, and this review has already had too many of those so I'll just say that there may be one twist too many.
No matter, the fun that Pierce haves with this juicy part is contagious, and the film is a promsing debut for writer/director Tomnay. It has "worthwhile rental" written all over it.
Special Features: A "Making THE PERFECT HOST with Writer/Director Nick Tomnay", the Theatrical Trailer (which you can watch above on the left), and "HDNet: A Look at THE PERFECT HOST.
More later...
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