The Guest House

Last updated
The Guest House
The Guest House (2012 film) poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Michael Baumgarten
Written byMichael Baumgarten
Produced byMichael Baumgarten
Starring
CinematographyAnkush Kohli
Edited byJennifer Barlow
Music byMichael Reola
Production
company
Baumgarten Films
Distributed by Wolfe Releasing
Release dates
  • June 18, 2012 (2012-06-18)(UK)
  • September 4, 2012 (2012-09-04)(US)
Running time
82 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000

The Guest House is a 2012 lesbian romance film written, produced and directed by Michael Baumgarten. It stars Ruth Reynolds and Madeline Merritt as two women who fall in love over a weekend at a Los Angeles guest house. The film has received mixed reviews from critics.

Contents

Plot

18-year-old Rachel arrives home one morning after staying out all night with her boyfriend Jason. Jason has decided to break up with Rachel since they have both just graduated from high school and are going off to college. She and Jason have an argument and he drives away in his car before Rachel goes inside her house and is scolded by her father for coming home so late. Right before he leaves on his business trip, he informs Rachel that a new employee at his company is coming over to stay in their guest house for a few days.

Amy, the new employee, arrives and Rachel shows her around the house and the guest house. Rachel plays a short original instrumental song on the piano and receives praise from Amy. Rachel tells Amy that the guest house used to be her mother’s art studio before she died from cancer. Later that day, as Amy prepares to take a bath, Rachel and she get to know each other, talking about travel and relationships. Rachel tells Amy about Jason breaking up with her and that she plans to go to college in New York. Later that night, Rachel opens up a bottle of wine for both her and Amy. They talk about love and relationships and Rachel asks Amy if she has ever been in love. Amy admits that she is not even sure what it means to be in love, and she also admits that she’s never been comfortable with men or with anyone. Later that night, Amy walks over to the main house and accidentally sees Rachel masturbating to a lesbian adult film. Amy walks back to the guest house without Rachel noticing.

The next morning, Rachel decides to take Amy out to shop and see the city. They document some of their activities that day on a video camera and talk about their hopes and dreams for their futures. Rachel mentions her desire to make music. While on a Ferris wheel at the beach, Rachel and Amy’s conversations get more personal, and Amy confesses that she thinks Rachel is cute. Amy then mentions that she feels like she and Rachel have become best friends. The girls return home and, having developed a strong connection, make love that night.

The next day, Rachel and Amy spend more time getting to know each other. They make love in the hot tub and afterwards go out to a concert at a small nightclub. The girls then go to a tattoo parlor to get tattoos. Later that night, Rachel gets out of bed, goes to the piano, and plays the same song she played for Amy, but this time with lyrics. Amy walks in and hears part of the performance. She then embraces Rachel.

The next morning, Rachel’s father arrives home early and is shocked to discover her in bed with Amy. To Rachel’s shock, it is revealed that her father and Amy slept with each other. Amy begs for forgiveness, telling Rachel that she didn’t know that there was such a thing as love. Disgusted and heartbroken, Rachel breaks off their relationship.

A few months later, Rachel is performing a show at a small club in San Francisco. Afterwards, she exits and finds Amy waiting outside. The two girls kiss and admit how much they have missed each other. They later walk by the water near Golden Gate Bridge, and Amy tells Rachel she loves her. Rachel tells Amy she loves her too. The two of them kiss and embrace.

Cast

Production

Madeline Merritt originally read for the role of Rachel before being cast as Amy. Neither she nor Reynolds had portrayed a lesbian character on screen prior to this film, though Merritt had previously starred in a stage production of Boston Marriage while at university. [1] Reynolds found that their experience on-set mirrored that of their characters, saying, "It was a challenge because we are considered straight, so it was kind of cool to find out how comfortable it was to be with someone of the same gender...even though its something that’s completely new. So aside from our characters, we discovered it in real life as well". [2] The two women became friends during filming. Merritt recalled, "When Ruth and I had callbacks, we read together and we just clicked. The chemistry and connection were just there: it wasn't something we had to work at, we really played well off of each other from the start." [1] Reynolds also relished the opportunity to play a musician. [1]

Critical response

The Guest House received mixed reviews from critics. Writing for AfterEllen , Danielle Riendeau summed up her review by saying: "Guest House is largely a fun piece of fluff, with attractive leads and a fun premise, but the film is far, far too chatty for its own good. The writing is spotty, with a few clunky lines, and the final third dives far into melodramatic territory." However, she also noted the "fantastic chemistry between Reynolds and Merritt" and found the love scenes "decidedly hot". [3] Dora Mortimer gave the film a negative review for Diva magazine and found that it lacked authenticity, saying: "If you're looking for a lesbian film – hunt elsewhere. This film's only claim to LGBT issues is having two very femmey members of the same sex feign interest in each other. It is written and directed by a man and it shows." [4] Lauren Shiro of Curve magazine was much more positive, saying: "The Guest House is a cute, fun, and highly enjoyable movie. This is a perfect light-hearted, feel good movie for fun weekend entertainment." [5]

Ruth Reynolds won the Rising Star Award at the Melbourne Independent Film Festival for her role in the film. [6]

Home media

The Guest House is distributed by Wolfe Releasing in the United States, [7] and by Peccadillo Pictures in the United Kingdom. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chasing Amy</i> 1997 film by Kevin Smith

Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly McGillis</span> American actress (born 1957)

Kelly Ann McGillis is an American actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in Witness (1985), for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in Top Gun (1986); Made in Heaven (1987); The House on Carroll Street (1988); and as Katheryn Murphy in The Accused (1988). In her later career, she has starred in horror films such as Stake Land (2010), The Innkeepers (2011), and We Are What We Are (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel McAdams</span> Canadian actress (born 1978)

Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre degree program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film Perfect Pie (2002), for which she received a Genie Award nomination, the comedy film My Name Is Tanino (2002), and the comedy series Slings & Arrows (2003–2005), for which she won a Gemini Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Dratch</span> American actress (born 1966)

Rachel Susan Dratch is an American actress and comedian. After she graduated from Dartmouth College, she moved to Chicago to study improvisational theatre at The Second City and ImprovOlympic. Dratch's breakthrough role was her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. During her time on SNL, she portrayed a variety of roles including Debbie Downer. She has since occasionally returned to SNL as a guest portraying Senator Amy Klobuchar.

<i>Citizen Ruth</i> 1996 American film directed by Alexander Payne

Citizen Ruth is a 1996 American satirical black comedy film directed by Alexander Payne, in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Kurtwood Smith, Mary Kay Place, Kenneth Mars, and Tippi Hedren. The film follows a poor, drug-addled, irresponsible pregnant woman who unexpectedly attracts national attention from those involved in the abortion debate. The story was inspired by the case of Martina Greywind, a homeless, unmarried mother from North Dakota who was offered $11,000 to carry what would have been her seventh child to term. This film marked Kenneth Mars’ final theatrical film role.

<i>At Long Last Love</i> 1975 film by Peter Bogdanovich

At Long Last Love is a 1975 American jukebox musical comedy film written, produced, and directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and featuring 18 songs with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It stars Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Madeline Kahn, and Duilio Del Prete as two couples who each switch partners during a party and attempt to make each other jealous. Bogdanovich was inspired to make a musical with Porter's songs after Shepherd gave him a book of them. All of the musical sequences were performed live by the cast, for At Long Last Love was meant by Bogdanovich to be a tribute to 1930s musical films like One Hour with You, The Love Parade, The Merry Widow and The Smiling Lieutenant in which the songs were shot in that way.

<i>If These Walls Could Talk 2</i> 2000 American television film

If These Walls Could Talk 2 is a 2000 American television film broadcast on HBO. It is a sequel to the 1996 HBO film If These Walls Could Talk and is likewise a female-centered anthology film, with three separate segments all set in the same house within three different decades of the 20th century. Unlike the earlier film, in which all the stories relate to abortion, all the storylines in this film deal with lesbian couples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Kelly</span> American actress (1910–1981)

Patsy Kelly was an American actress. She is known for her role as the brash, wisecracking sidekick to Thelma Todd in a series of short comedy films produced by Hal Roach in the 1930s. Kelly's career continued in similar roles after Todd's death in 1935.

Amy Steel is an American film and television actress. She made her acting debut in the comedy film Fat Chance (1981) directed by Manuel Summers. She then gained recognition for her role as aspiring child psychologist Ginny in the Steve Miner-directed horror film Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). She had roles in the mystery April Fool's Day (1986), the slapstick Walk Like a Man (1987), the thriller Play Nice (1992), and the anthology Tales of Poe (2014).

<i>Big Brother 3</i> (American season) Season of television series

Big Brother 3 is the third season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It is based upon the Netherlands series of the same name, which gained notoriety in 1999 and 2000. The series premiered on CBS on July 10, 2002 and lasted for a total of 82 days. The series concluded on September 25, 2002 when Lisa Donahue was crowned the winner, and Danielle Reyes the runner-up. The premise of the series remained similar to the previous season. The series revolved around twelve strangers living in a house together with no communication with the outside world. They were constantly filmed during their time in the house, and were not permitted to communicate with those filming them. One HouseGuest, known as the Head of Household, had the task of nominating two of their fellow HouseGuests for eviction. The Power of Veto could be used to save a nominee. The HouseGuests then voted to evict one of the nominees, with the HouseGuest who received the most votes being evicted from the house. When only two HouseGuests remained, the previously evicted HouseGuests would decide which of them would win the $500,000 grand prize.

<i>Imagine Me & You</i> 2005 film

Imagine Me & You is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Ol Parker and starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey with Matthew Goode, Celia Imrie, and Anthony Head. It centers on the relationship between Rachel (Perabo) and Luce (Headey), who meet on Rachel's wedding day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Greenwood</span> Fictional character

Amy Greenwood is a fictional character from the Australian soap Neighbours, played by Jacinta Stapleton. She made her first on-screen appearance on 10 July 1997. Amy is characterised as flirtatious and ditzy, especially interested in fashion and gossip. During her original duration in the series, writers created a long-running on/off relationship with Lance Wilkinson. Amy later begins relationship with flight attendant Damien Smith and elopes with him after discovering she is pregnant. Amy departed on 21 March 2000. Five years later, Stapleton reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode in July 2005. She reprised the role again in December 2020 and later re-joined the regular cast. Her final regular appearance was on 28 July 2022 during the serial's finale, although she returned on 13 November 2023 for two flashback episodes, which showed why Amy had left Ramsay Street.

<i>D.E.B.S.</i> (2003 film) 2003 short film by Angela Robinson

D.E.B.S. is a 2003 American action comedy short film written and directed by Angela Robinson. D.E.B.S. made the film festival circuit including the Sundance Film Festival, L.A. Outfest and New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, receiving a total of seven film festival awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peccadillo Pictures</span> UK film producer and distributor

Peccadillo Pictures is a UK-based film producer and distributor of art house, gay and lesbian, independent and world cinema. They have provided distribution for many films such as Weekend, Tomboy, XXY, Eyes Wide Open, Four Minutes, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, Transylvania, Cockles and Muscles, Summer Storm, The Guest House and Chemsex.

<i>The X Factor</i> (British TV series) series 5 British TV series

The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The fifth series was broadcast on ITV from 16 August 2008 until 13 December 2008. Dermot O'Leary returned to present the main show on ITV, while Fearne Cotton was replaced by Holly Willoughby as presenter of spin-off show The Xtra Factor on ITV2. Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, and Dannii Minogue returned to the judging panel. Sharon Osbourne left after four series and was replaced by Cheryl Cole. The series was won by Alexandra Burke, with Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April and May, with callbacks in front of the judges in June. The number of applicants for series 5 reached an all-time high with a reported 182,000 people auditioning. A number of well-established music acts from around the world, such as Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Girls Aloud, Take That, Il Divo, and series 3 winner Leona Lewis, performed during the live stages of the show.

Pandora (<i>Skins</i>) 4th episode of the 3rd season of Skins

"Pandora" is the fourth episode of the third series of the British teen drama Skins, which first aired on 12 February 2009 on E4 in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. The episode was written by Bryan Elsley and Georgia Lester, and was directed by Simon Massey. The episode focuses on the character of Pandora Moon, who is miserable after her boyfriend, Thomas Tomone, recently returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She holds a small pyjama party for her friends, but it descends into chaos when uninvited guests arrive and the food is spiked with drugs. Pandora and Effy get into an argument after both girls have sex with James Cook, but the argument is interrupted when Thomas unexpectedly returns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Bayer</span> American actress and comedian (born 1981)

Vanessa Bayer is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2017, for which she was nominated for an Emmy. She co-created, co-executive produced, and had the lead role in the Showtime comedy I Love That for You, loosely based on her experience as a survivor of childhood leukemia. She has appeared in such films as Trainwreck (2015), Office Christmas Party (2016), Carrie Pilby (2016), Ibiza (2018) and Wander Darkly (2020).

<i>The Change-Up</i> 2011 film by David Dobkin

The Change-Up is a 2011 American fantasy romantic comedy produced and directed by David Dobkin, and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman as Mitch Planko and Dave Lockwood, two best friends living in Atlanta who “switch bodies” after urinating into the fountain to wish they had each other's lives. The film was released on August 5, 2011, in North America by Universal Pictures. It received negative reviews from critics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 James, Toni (June 18, 2012). "The Guest House – Interview with Ruth Reynolds and Madeline Merritt". When Sally Met Sally. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  2. Hoffman, Kim (July 2, 2012). "The Guest House". Curve. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  3. Riendeau, Danielle (November 7, 2012). ""The Guest House" is a sexy but flawed story of lesbian love". AfterEllen. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  4. Mortimer, Dora (June 21, 2012). "DVD review: The Guest House". Diva. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  5. Shiro, Lauren (January 24, 2016). "The Guest House". Curve. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  6. Portelli, Ramona (November 17, 2013). "1 on 1 with actress and model Ruth Reynolds". Conversations Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  7. "Guest House, The". Wolfe Releasing. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  8. "The Guest House". Peccadillo Pictures. Retrieved August 7, 2016.