You can’t accuse writer/director Atom Egoyan for being unoriginal, his films are his own spin of drama, and if he is going to miss the mark, he is doing it on his own terms. The directors newest work, Guest of Honour is one big strange miss. The type of movie you recommend only because it’s odd that it was made at all. David Thewlis is the lead, playing an uptight health code inspector named Jim. He takes his job seriously, inspecting every corner of the restaurant, and is never afraid to wield his power to fail a restaurant for even the slightest problem. That stubbornness has been passed on to his daughter Veronica (Laysla De Oliveira), who we meet having a conversation with Father Greg (Luke Wilson) to discuss the funeral arrangements for her dad. The narrative takes place in various flashbacks and flashforwards, introducing us to what brought us to this moment of Jim’s death and why his daughter dislikes him so much. It’s a strange drama of family dysfunction that does not go far enough. Instead, Guest of Honour left me feeling like a cold meal left sitting in the sink.
