Raunchy, Extremely Adult Comedy On Netflix Is A Modern Screwball Throwback

2020 was a strange year for movies because distribution models changed nearly overnight for reasons beyond the average person’s control. COVID-19 lockdowns resulted in a number of titles being released directly to streaming, and I’ll admit that I’m still catching up with some of them.

During that brief period of unemployment that was only made worse by the fact that all my favorite restaurants and hangouts were shut down, I really wish I had stumbled upon 2020’s Guest House when it was first making its rounds through on-demand platforms because it’s exactly the kind of raunchy, screwball comedy you need when times are tough.

Say what you want about Pauly Shore, but so will I: I love his immaturity, commitment to the bit, and The Weasel. I sold most of my physical media years ago, and I still own a DVD copy of Bio-Dome.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, you need to watch Guest House even if the zero percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes is trying to make the world forget about this one. Whenever I watch a 90s comedy like There’s Something About Mary, which prompts people to say “you can’t make a movie like that today,” I’ll point their attention to Guest House, one of the most out-of-pocket screwball comedies that would have probably been a box office success if it was released decades ago.

The Weasel Is Back, Baby!

Guest House is far from an intellectual experience, but it offers everything you want from an over-the-top screwball comedy in spades. This isn’t a thinker. I don’t even think it’s a stinker. It simply exists to entertain and scratch that itch you feel when you wish there was more careless partying, substance abuse, nudity, and the terminally idiotic presence that only Pauly Shore could deliver so effortlessly in your life.

We’re introduced to Blake Renner (Mike Castle) and Sarah Masters (Aimee Teegarden), a couple who finally closes on their dream house after months of searching for “the one.” Here’s the kicker: the guest house out back is occupied by Pauly Shore’s Randy Cockfield, a man who treats recreational drug abuse like a sport and lives his life as a slave to his baser impulses.

Blake, a former party animal who’s not exactly in the good graces of Sarah’s father, Douglas (Billy Zane), is not the breadwinner with his job working for Shred (Steve-O) at his skate shop. Matters are further complicated by the fact that Randy refuses to leave the premises at the agreed-upon timeframe and instead chooses to rent out the guest house through some legal loophole so he can continue to live there.

Given Blake’s past party-boy days, he’s susceptible to Randy’s whims and ends up forming a short-lived friendship that ultimately compromises his relationship with Sarah. As soon as Randy learns that he’s no longer wanted and that Blake is serious about kicking him out, all bets are off.

Randy throws ragers, drugs Blake and Sarah’s groceries, and destroys the property in the process, all in the name of fun. To make matters worse, the cops are on Randy’s side because he’s just a wavy-gravy dude who wants to have some fun, which is a lot easier to deal with than Blake, who’s by all measures a total killjoy.

That’s It, That’s The Entire Movie

Guest House wins points for its simplicity. A couple moves into their new house to start the next chapter of their life, and Pauly Shore refuses to leave. Hilarity ensues. Bobby Lee gets naked in a sex swing. Drugs are cavalierly consumed, jiggly bits are whipped out with reckless abandon, and Billy Zane of all people shakes his head in disapproval.

At some point, a rabid, drugged-out possum wreaks havoc on a dinner party, and there are casualties. For some reason, though, Guest House works because it’s in and out in 84 minutes, using the “this happened, then this happened” format that sounds easy enough to execute in principle, but is incredibly difficult to pull off without its premise wearing thin.

Using chaos as its primary vehicle, Guest House is the perfect callback to the kind of comedy that clearly can still be made today, even though its desired audience may have grown out of this brand of humor. If you value immaturity over deeper meaning, however, Guest House is an absolute blast from start to finish.

Pauly Shore is in his element here, and you can see that he’s having the time of his life reliving his glory days when he was only known as The Weasel. If you, like me, proudly celebrate the occasional party flick that only strives to make you laugh as many times as possible in a single minute, then you’ll feel right at home with Guest House. If the words “Pauly Shore” make you foam at the mouth as if you’ve just been bitten by a rabid possum, you might want to sit this one out.

Guest House is streaming on Netflix.