Best in Show

Rating:
Summary: SHAGGY DOGUMENTARY FARCE ALL TOO TRUE
Review: Sly humor in another vein is finely tuned in Christopher ("This Is Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman") Guest's "BEST IN SHOW." Writer-director Guest and his fearless ensemble players zero in on the animals and humans who dwell in the strange subculture of competitive dog shows. Almost documentary -- or should I say "dogumentary"? -- in style, this largely improvised, sustained farce follows a clique of dog owners as they enter their animals in a national competition. You may not laugh out loud, but you will certainly smile and possibly even chortle at the eccentric dog owners. There's Parker Posey and Mike Hitchcock, a tightly-wound, pretentious yuppie couple who think they've traumatized their Weimeraner when they had sex in front of him. Co-writer Eugene Levy is a Terrier owner and amazingly tolerant husband to Catherine O'Hara and her prodigious sleep-around past. Guest is a loquacious, ventriloquist-aspiring and literally red-necked owner of a sardonically-faced Bloodhound. Fred Willard steals the show as a naive -- and painfully inappropriate -- ad-libbing announcer. This is a sweet movie that holds an affectionate mirror to absurd human behavior in a ridiculous setting. Animal lovers rest assured, there are no jokes at any dog's expense. The disc includes a witty commentary by Guest and Levy and a bunch of deletes scenes. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A welcome relief from typical Hollywood tripe
Review: ...“Best in Show” is a modest production, rife with intelligence and wit, providing an absolutely hilarious look at a slice of human existence. There is little in the way of a narrative plot: it is a monument to the genius of the cast that the movie is almost entirely composed of impromptu comedy yet comes together as a whole so very well. It is more subtle and mature than “Waiting for Guffman”, and actually funnier. Some of the humor may be lost on people unfamiliar with dog shows, but the focus is really on the characters themselves. Their foibles and absurdities range from endearing to annoying, but the overall tone is one of sympathy as much as satire: you laugh as you recognize yourself. This, along with “Iron Giant”, is a movie to watch when your spirits need lifting.

Almost every scene in the movie is funny. I laugh out loud through the whole thing. But when I first saw Harlan Pepper break out the ventriloquist dummy, I just about lost my lunch. Congratulations to everyone for creating characters so rich and so strikingly bizarre. BTW, the deleted scenes on the DVD are worth watching as well.

Rating:
Summary: Ridiculously Funny
Review: This has got to be one of the most ridiculously funny movies I've ever seen! It's the kind of movie you that's embarassing to watch.

Eugene Levy's the man!!

Rating:
Summary: Simply Excellent!!!!!!
Review: Since seeing "Waiting for Guffman" and missing a major portion of the Second City Comedy Troupe, i.e., Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, I have enjoyed Christorpher Guest and his troupe of actors attack certain American institutions via the "mockumentary" format.

'Best In Show: is hands down the very best of Mr. Guests's mockumentaries to date. When you consider that the majority of the film is improvisational, with the characters given a basic structure from which to work and then allowed to "go where their creativity takes them" you get a real appreciation of just what a good ensemble cast can capture/create.

This particular outing takes on the world of dog shows and follows the exploits of various dog owners to the Best In Show finals. It is a stitch! There is something here for everybody. Of course the standout is Fred Willard as an obnoxious commentator who really deserved winning the Oscar for supporting actor for which he was nominated. The character study of each dog owner of course sheds infinite light into why they are so obsessed with their dog receiving the top award.

The improvisation is top-notch but I would expect nothing less. Catherine O'Hara is generally flawless and here she does not disappoint. She is in RARE form! She and Eugene Levy play off each other quite well. Other cast members that I have seen in "Waiting for Guffman" as well as "A Mighty Wind" continue to be consistently creative and funny and I welcome their efforts. While "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind" pale in comparison, they too reveal flashes of the genius of Mr. Guest and company.

A must for your DVD collection and it gets funnier each time you watch. Just don't watch with serious dog owners or they may be somehwat insulted becasue Best In Show while empathizing with its subject matter, does not take it as seriously as some obviously do!

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: Super funny
Review: Best in Show was on e of the funnies movies that I have seen in a long time.

It is a takeoff on the Westminster Dog Show.

If you are familiar with such shows, this movie will leave you screaming with laughs.
If you are not familiar, it still will be very funny, just not as much.

Rating:
Summary: definately a funny movie
Review: A Film by Christopher Guest

I'm probably one of a few, but I wasn't a huge fan of This is Spinal Tap (a Rob Reiner film starring much of the same cast including Christopher Guest). With that in mind, I wasn't sure that I would be a big fan of the mockumentary genre. But, I keep hearing that Best In Show is a great movie. I finally gave it a shot (as much to see the dogs as it was to see the movie).

Best in Show is a mockumentary (a fictional documentary) about a dog show. We are introduced to the characters as we would in a documentary. They give interviews talking about who they are, who their dogs are, and about their goals for the dog show (naturally, everyone expects to win). Everyone is somewhat neurotic. The movie stars Parker Posey (Party Girl), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Catherine O'Hara (Waiting for Guffman), and Michael McKean (A Mighty Wind). While Levy and O'Hara seem to get the most time, nobody is really shorted a time to shine. One of the fun things about this movie is that it is almost completely improvised all the way through, which makes for some very interesting spots and lines.

This is a movie of the absurd. While I didn't find anything to be rolling on the floor funny, I found so much of the movie to be humorous. The co-announcer at the dog show had some of the best lines as he just asked question after question and while most of his questions/comments would be inappropriate for an actual dog show, this made it all the funnier. Another highlight for me was Parker Posey. The movie was filled with interesting characters, each with a different take on the dog show. I don't think this will be one of my favorite films, but it is definitely a good one, and a funny movie.

Rating:
Summary: The comedy underdog that lives up to its name
Review: Christopher Guest has pulled together a wonderful improvised masterpiece that takes us behind the scenes at a national dog show. Talk about finding humor in unexpected places! The laughs are not drawn from slapstick but from the human condition: from neuroticism to arrogance, from simplicity to sexuality. Best in Show relies more on words and situations than prat-falls and gross gags.
Every character is perfectly cast (without the help of overpaid, big name actors) and the comic timing is right on target. Sometimes, we don't expect to laugh and we're surprised. The documentary style is effective, allowing the audience to concentrate less on visuals and more on the interactions between characters and the witty dialogue. Plus, there are some really beautiful animals in this film that should not be ignored.
This is one of those films you can watch over and over again and still laugh at. It was a small movie in terms of box office, but I predict that it will become a bigger hit with the cable and DVD/video audiences. It's worth a look, if only to escape from over-produced, tired comedies.

Rating:
Summary: Best in Show
Review: BEST OF SHOW was a little disappointing. I couldn't connect with Christopher Guest's hillbilly character, Eugene Levy's character lost me behind his buck teeth and two left feet (No, they really are two left feet!), and I thought Fred Willard's ringside color-man bit was more irritating than slashingly satiric. Bummer. It was because they were in it that I got this one.
On the other hand the movie is filled with strong characterizations and funny bits. Larry Miller has a hilarious scene as one of Catherine O'Hara's ex-lovers who, to husband Levy's obvious discomfort, describes things in graphic detail. Ed Begley Jr. hits the right note as the quietly helpful hotel manager. The bickering yuppie couple and the gay couple were fun, too.

Rating:
Summary: CHARMING MOCKUMENTARY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A PET
Review: The brilliance of this fake documentary (about people who enter their dogs in the biggest dogshow of the year) lies not in racy slapstick or memorable one-liners, but in sophisticated and layered verbal wit.

Not only are pet owners, competitions, and manners satirized, but also the format of the documentary itself. Despite their antics, you wind up sympathizing with them to some extent, with the exception of the yuppie couple and the announcer. With the exception of the announcer (who is crude and ludicrous by turns) you can believe that all of these kooky characters really exist, especially if you watch enough real documentaries.

Neat piece of work overall, although some moments are more interesting than others. I'd give it a 3.5 rating if I could.