Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious Mockumentary
Review: Director Rob Reiner may have set the standard for the "mockumentary" with "This is Spinal Tap", but one of the stars of that movie, Christopher Guest, had refined it with his own "Waiting for Guffman." Guest is one of Hollywood's funniest comedians, but since he sticks to being funny instead of getting in trouble with drugs/hookers/transvestites/ whatever, he never seems to get the recognition he deserves. Maybe this will change with his new opus, "Best in Show."This time out we learn about the "special" relationships people can have with their dogs as we follow a broad range of deluded people on their way to their personal Superbowl, the Mayflower Dog Show. From Pine Nut, North Carolina we meet Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest) and his Bloodhound, Hubert. Harlan knows a lot about fly-fishing and nuts, but perhaps not as much about ventriloquism as he'd like. Yuppie lawyers Meg (Parker Posey) and Hamilton Swan (Michæl Hitchcock) are drowning in their clothing catalogues and sizable neuroses in Illinois, and have transferred their insanity to their Weimaraner, Beatrice. Fern City, Florida men's wear salesman Gerry Fleck (Eugene Levy) could focus on Norwich Terrier Winkey if he could only stop running into men that slept with his wife Cookie (Catherine O'Hara). Apparently she married him because he was last in line. Probably most entertaining is New York dog handler Scott Donlan (John Michæl Higgins) and his longtime partner, salon proprietor Stefan Vanderhoof (Michæl McKean). Of their matching Shih Tzus, they believe Miss Agnes stands the best chance of winning. When the big show arrives, all must face the previous two-time winner, Poodle Rhapsody In White owned by decrepit millionaire Leslie Ward Cabot (Patrick Cranshaw) and his young trophy wife Sherri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge). To ensure success, Sherri Ann has hired professional dog handler Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch), but the two women are distracted by their, uh, mutual chemistry. Although similar in style, there are several differences between "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman". While both movies credit Guest and Levy as writers, you can sense more in the way of structure in their newest work. This is probably due, in part, to another big change. "This is Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman" both followed a cast of characters, but those groups were, more or less, in pursuit of a single, unified goal. In "Best of Show", the different characters starting from different locations and only come together to compete against each other for the same prize. As such, we don't get as much interaction between the different characters as we'd like. The final product also feels much denser as a result of cutting back and forth between all of their different storylines. Still, it all comes down to how good the cast is, and everyone delivers. Guest himself takes more of a backseat as his southern eccentric is usually by himself. Posey excels, as expected, in a part that allows her to be completely unhinged. Most of the cast do fine jobs, particularly Levy and O'Hara. There are, however, three standouts. First, Fred Willard is the funniest I've even seen him as a dog show announcer who doesn't know anything about dogs, or apparently what jokes might be inappropriate for the venue. Lynch, who had previously wallowed in television and bit movie parts, makes the most of this opportunity and matches the lunacy of anyone else present. Of everyone, there is one man who truly reaches a new plateau, and that man is John Michæl Higgins. You know he's got to be good when Michæl McKean plays the "quiet one" in the relationship. Forget Jack from "Will and Grace", Higgins' Scott Donlan is the true queen of the ball. His flaming, naughty antics and wardrobe dominate the screen every time he's on. Frighteningly, the one thing I remember him from is his portrayal of David Letterman in HBO's adaptation of Bill Carter's "The Late Shift". Yikes! Now, is this movie actually better than "Waiting for Guffman"? Mmmm, no. As that group of characters built toward something together, it had more punch in the end, rather than watching the new bunch take turns presenting their animals in the newer film. It's still a great movie. The point to these exercises, as both Reiner and Guest know, is not to just spend 90 minutes mocking the adventures of some exaggerated characters. The directors love all the inmates of their asylums, so the audience does too. Too often, when others try this kind of thing, their subjects are little more than a pile of absurd character tics. A full-length feature must be more developed than a half-assed "Saturday Night Live" skit. The filmmakers don't just need to make us laugh, the must, as Guest has done, make us care.
Rating:
Summary: Best of Guest
Review: I must say I am a huge fan of the mockumentarys starring Christoper Guest and Co. And Best in Show is my absolute favorite. The ENTIRE cast is so great at spontaneous improvised humor (well a lot of the cast began their careers doing improv) and I have no clue how they all just don't explode with laughter at what everyone else is saying. The ladies in particular; Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch and Jennifer Coolidge...were the reasons for some of the biggest belly laughs for me. But the guys more than held their own. And sometimes the humor is so quiet and subtle, that it wasn't until the 3rd or 4th viewing, that I realized just how genius everyone involved is...and then keeled over with laughter. Must see, not only for Guest or Spinal Tap fans, but people who like to laugh.
Rating:
Summary: We both love soup...
Review: This movie is by far one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Easily one of my top 3 movies of all time! The characters make the movie. There's no way to adequately describe just how funny this movie is.
Rating: 
Summary: "Thanks a lot, you stupid hotel manager!" (4.5 stars)
Review: Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" is a wildly hilarious satire that pokes fun at people who are overly obsessed with their pets. So obsessed that they would take their pets and put them in a type of "beauty pageant" in order to get awards and recognition. It's funny and unrelenting because you see it as an everyday occurrence in society. People like this really do exist, and that is why it's so humorous. The characters are all out of their minds and are a joy to watch in this very entertaining and unpredictable film. I had no idea what I was going to experience when I popped this into the DVD player. At first, it didn't seem like anything that would interest me. However, almost every single person I know had seen it and encouraged me to watch it. I'm glad I did give it a chance, because I ended up really liking it. The satire is outrageous and subtle at the same time (something that's VERY difficult to accomplish unless the project is in the right hands). The actors are hilarious and very animated, but at the same time you know that these types of people really do exist! Eugene Levy was my favorite person in the film. He's so subtle and clever when it comes to humor. Overall, everybody was fantastic in their roles. The DVD has some really cool extras. It has very good picture and sound quality. Extras included are deleted scenes, feature length audio commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, theatrical trailer and more. The deleted scenes are pretty interesting to watch. Tons of special features for those who love the extra "bells and whistles." "Best in Show" is great satirical comedy in top form. Not a wasted second is present in the movie. If you're looking for something a little less ordinary, this may be the choice for you. Christopher Guest has done an excellent job of orchestrating this very entertaining and clever film that gives us 90 minutes of fun and laughs.
Rating:
Summary: I Guess that I am "Simple Minded..."
Review: I thought that this movie was funny.
Christopher Guest doesn't disappoint those of us who understand his type of humor.
Rating: 
Summary: the worst movie i have ever seen
Review: This movie blows, all it incorporates is dry humor interviews. I was tossing and turning every agonizing minute of it until about halfway through. I couldn't stand any more and turned it off and threw away the DVD. This movie is a real loser, no music, no story, no nothing. You wait for it to get better, but it never does. If you really want to buy this movie, do yourself a favor, go buy a video camera and go out to the street corner and make interviews with people walking by, you will be thankful you did. This movie is the worst, most lowest budget, and cheapest made one I have EVER seen. How can anyone find any humor in this DUD, I see all the high reviews, but they must be from some really simple minded people, because this movie is really STUPID. Don't waste your time, money, electricity, or gasoline to see this one.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite "mockumentary" by Christopher Guest
Review: One of the best comedies I have ever seen. The premise of the movie is a documentary following five dogs, and their "eccentric" (I am being kind!) owners/handlers, bringing the dogs to a championship dog show. I really enjoyed this partly because I have been to dozens of dog shows myself, and have seen vitual carbon copies of most of the characters portrayed in the movie. This movie has characters a bit over the top, but they remind me of people I have seen, and heard of in local show circuits. Brief descriptions of some characters (they are all too deep to try and describe in a few words)... One yuppie couple is obsessed with catalog shopping and Starbucks. There is a wealthy owner/arrogant handler pairing. A southern man with his bloodhound. Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy as a mismatched couple that write songs about terriers. A gay couple portrayed by Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins steal the show in my opinion. There is not a bad performance in this film. John Michael Higgins' flamboyance and one liners, Catherine O'Hara's promiscuous past, Eugene Levy's two left feet, The search for "busy bee" - great stuff. Most of the script is improvised, which is almost unbelievable to me because of the great dialogue. Fred Willard is hilarious as the know nothing co host/tv announcer. The outtakes and director/writer commentary add to the feature. This movie is funny the first time, and tenth time you watch it. Really exceptional.
Rating: 
Summary: A real disappointment
Review: Waiting for Guffman is one of my favorite films, so when I heard that Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy had written another mockumentary, I was thrilled to see it. Unfortunately, I was highly disappointed by Best in Show. The first reason, I think, is the lack of music. Other films of this ilk have an additional layer of music that makes for a fuller experience as the songs are often as funny as the film. Additionally, Best in Show has not one likable character in it. The thing about This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and even A Mighty Wind is that you identify with the characters while you laugh at them. Every dog owner is--if not entirely despicable like the pair played by Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey (and I like both actors immensely)--so bland as to be uninteresting. Tack onto that the prevalence of easy jokes (the two gay couples and the just awful "two left feet" gag that never pays off) and you end up with a lesser film that could have been so much better. The funniest part to me is Fred Willard's turn as ignorant commentator. Of course, this is only my opinion as there seem to be many people who love this film. Perhaps I just look for a little more in my movies, especially from this crew, and especially after the massively successful (from a narrative standpoint) Waiting for Guffman. Luckily, the same actors have redeemed themselves (for the most part, see below) with A Mighty Wind.
Rating:
Summary: Good dog!
Review: I work in this business, and I can attest that "Best In Show" is very close to the truth. And the truth is both nice and hilarious. I was laughing my head off all through this movie; one of the best parts about it (apart from the parts played by Catherine O'Hara and Gene Levy, who are among my favorites) is the affection shown toward all the characters. There is plenty of satire, but this is not a malicious film. I understand that a lot of "Best In Show" was improvised, but it's hard to tell; several of the actors are connected with the legendary Second City improvisational group, which would explain a lot. All the little details of how a dog show is run are presented realistically, and that realism adds a lot to the comedy. If you've ever seen the Westminster Dog Show on TV and wondered what motivates all these good folks... well, you'll get a distorted view from this movie, but that's where some (at least) of the humor comes in. And the dogs are great!
Rating:
Summary: Bow Wow!
Review: Christopher Guest brings us another documentary-style comedy. This time it's about a dog show and the eccentric dog owners. Many of the laughs come from simply observing how ridiculous the characters act with their pets. I crack up every time when Guest (as a southern fisherman) speaks dog language to his bloodhound and then uses ventriloquism to tell the camera his dog has telepathy (pronounced tel-ep-eh-theh). The usual cast members are here: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, etc.
plus several others who were in Waiting for Guffman. There are so many funny scenes, especially the young yuppie couple searching for their dog's "busy bee" toy and just about any scene with Levy and O'Hara. They are perfect as the couple Jerry and Cookie Fleck. Jerry is a nerd with literally two left feet and Cookie has previously slept with "hundreds" of men who pop up every now and then to reminicse on past sexual encounters. Possibly the funniest thing though is when they sing songs about their Terrier ("God Loves a Terrier, yes he does!") Unfortunately, there are some scenes that lag here and there and the announcer of the dog show becomes more irritating than funny after a while. Overall, a winner and a smart comedy that gets better with repeated viewings.
| 
