Review of The Perfect Host (2010) by Jon T — 28 May 2011

Tomnay takes a fun idea with a fair amount of potential and runs with it, but in the end The Perfect Host doesn't quite work as much more than a vehicle for David Hyde Pierce, who gives a fantastic performance in the title role as Warwick Wilson and is more than enough reason to see the movie. Pierce has one hell of a time running deranged circles around his co-star Crawford, who does a respectable job with what's given him but can't quite keep up with the natural charisma inherent in a part like Warwick. (At one point Warwick says to his guest, "You're forgettable, disposable, a supporting player. You're nothing. It's like you don't even exist." The irony works on a couple different levels.).

The film--which apparently started out as a short 10 years ago--suffers a bit structurally from a number of flashbacks and cut-aways to characters we don't really know or care about, all of which build to a somewhat bland conclusion that doesn't really do justice to the remarkable character work that Tomnay and Pierce have accomplished with the part of Warwick throughout the film. Where the script might have gone a step further in exploring exactly why Warwick and John are the way they are (a la Swimming With Sharks, perhaps), it flinches, instead opting for a third act that shrinks from the psychological nuances of the characters in favor of more tangible (and significantly less interesting) motivations.

Gripes aside, this is definitely a fun film due in large part to David Hyde Pierce, who gets to show a bit of range outside of the iconic Niles Crane and ultimately makes the movie very easy to watch. Check it out.