Guest of Honour

Used to be rabbit ears pulled in tv channels, now they are a coveted culinary delicacy. If nothing else, one always learns something from an Atom Egoyan film.

Consistently fine thespian David Thewlis as a complicated health inspector, carries "Guest of Honour" with the calm assurance, refined decorum, and meticulous deduction of Sherlock Holmes. Yet it is he who is the mystery. And as wonderful a performance it is (he really does carry the movie), the convoluted and twisty plot proves too benign and lacking, to do justice to foreshadowed expectations.

A forgettable and perplexing storyline involving his jailed daughter is awkwardly distracting at best, and out and out messy at worst. Slipping in a comedic Wilson brother (Luke) as a serious priest is admirable, but alas, serves to sabotage the dramatic flow.

Too bad, as the movie does indeed look great, and Thewlis is excellent, a commanding screen presence, delivering a perfectly nuanced role lacking a worthy supporting cast, and more importantly, a superior written vehicle.

• hipCRANK

I found this film riveting. Fantastic yet understated performances by all. Laysla De Oliveira is perfect for her role - absolutely stunning and fully believable. Atom Egoyan is a master storyteller. It was a very personal journey for me watching this film - I understand that some may find it boring or tedious if they somehow are unable to relate to the characters. I certainly could relate to them, though. I am sorry to see so many low ratings for this film - I think it deserves much better, and I think there are many people who would benefit from watching it.

Bitterly disappointing. Up until Felicia's Journey Egoyan was at the very top of his craft. Dense, intelligent storytelling, with considerable technical mastery, prefect mis-en-scene. Until that movie, he seemed perfectly willing and able to move towards the mainstream with skill. With the partial exception of Adoration, it's been downhill since. Guest of Honour is poorly executed, appallingly written, shows no skill whatsoever. Indeed, the one or two nice shots seem accidental. One big problem is his use of actors. Back in the early days he used actors who seemed to give his admittedly clunky dialogue a sense of gravitas - Gabrielle Rose, David Hemblen, Elias Koteas, Maury Chakin (sp?)....the new batch, Luke Wilson, Colin Firth, Ryan Reynolds, a succession of attractive but poor female actresses, simply don't cut it......the sublime brilliance and control of The Adjuster, Calendar and Exotica, the beauty of The Sweet Hereafter.....it's all gone now

This story tells a complicated relationship between father and daughter. It is messed up, but it doesn't make me feel for the characters or the situation. I didn't find it engaging.

The usual melodrama by Egoyan. He wanted to show something new, but he didn't. Some of the segments have already been seen before in his work. Also, there are disadvantages in his story as it is that the main character, Jim, had never visited the church, said by his daughter, and at the end there is a notice said by the priest that he was in, even it was maybe once, at one funeral. However, obviously it's present some kind of struggle in author's mind about bus drivers. I love that old "The Sweet Hereafter", but in it everything is so clear and in here, no. Not bad, but there are a few disadvantages which make this movie to be not arranged properly.