Rating: 
Summary: HOWLINGLY FUNNY!
Review: Chris Guest has assembled one of the best casts in comedic movie history to bring us one hell of a "mockumentary". I was in tears I was laughing so hard and that was in the first ten minutes."Show" wonderfully and hilariously satirizes the life of being a dog owner, and the painstaking preparation that leads up to the "our-lives-are-at-stake" dog show. Animal lover or not, you will crack up at every scene that unfolds. I plan to see this one again!
Rating:
Summary: For The Love Of Dogs?
Review: This is a great spoof of what the sport of dogs is really about. On any given weekend, at any given dog show you will see these people & their dogs, using different names & breeds. It was great to sit back & see the humor of what some take too seriously.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like Waiting for Guffman, you'll lvoe this!
Review: Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest have pulled off another great "mockumentary" surrounding the owners of show-dogs as they compete in what appears to be the superbowl of Dog Shows. Following a series off characters, all of whom are odd in some way, makes for great entertainment. The low-budget nature of the film adds to its realistic hilarity, though at times the humour is a bit over-the-top. I found myself laughing frequently at this film, enjoying the strange and eccentric people that continually parade across the screen - and that doesn't even take into account the dogs! Which reminds me - if you love dogs, as I do, then you will enjoy the many and varied canines that are on display here. I particularly commend Levy as an awkward, sensitive man with two left feet - literally. His constant demeanor of confusion and caring is hilarious and highlights Levy's comedic abilities that have made me laugh for 15 years since SCTV reruns where on TV. I was also surprised and delighted by Fred Willard's absolutely hilarious role as the half-witted, over-talkative and misinformed announcer for the dog show. His antics were brilliantly pulled off and were the source of a great deal of my laughter. This movie in style, comedy and even characters is little different from Waiting for Guffman (I have not seen This is Spinal Tap), so if you did not like Guffman's brand of humour, you will want to avoid this. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected, but oddly enjoyable anyway.
Review: I went to my local theater last night and found that, unless I wanted to wait another hour, I only had two options: BEST IN SHOW or a film about little kids during the Holocaust. After reading the dreary synopsis of the Holocaust movie, I needed a laugh so BEST IN SHOW won out by default. I had heard a couple of glowing reviews so I anticipated laughing 'til I peed my pants. The best I can say about this film is that it is relatively entertaining (in a way I hadn't expected), but chockful of big yuks it's not. In fact, I can recall only a half-dozen or so decent laughs. None of it came close to leaving me rolling in the aisle. Christopher Guest's satirical humor appears to be one of those acquired tastes that makes only certain people roar with laughter and is definitely NOT what most folks think of as situational comedy. Guest's film is an ersatz documentary that focuses primarily on several hopeful dog owners who have entered their prize-winning purebreds in The Mayflower, a fictional granddaddy of all dog shows held in Philadelphia. The featured contenders run the gamut: There's a wealthy, foppish gay couple and one of their two Shih Tzus. There's a heavily made-up gold-digger and her butch poodle handler (the gold-digger's first interview is the funniest part of the whole movie). Parker Posey is fantastic as the "better" half of an ill-matched wannabe yuppie couple with major Type-A personalities and a Weimaraner that harbors dubious hostility toward her owners' equally dubious sexual escapades. Another team is comprised of a hopeless geek, his blowsy wife (a formerly libidinous former barfly played by the amazing Catherine O'Hara) and a terrier from suburban Florida. And, finally, there's a gentle yokel from the South (played endearingly by Guest himself) and his beautiful bloodhound. Throw in the dog show organizer, the hotel manager (Ed Begley, who did an excellent job with a small role) and a stupid, annoying, loudmouth color commentator (played by Fred Willard) and you've pretty much got the cast. According to Roger Ebert, Willard "steals the show." He did no such thing. In fact, he's the main reason NOT to watch this movie. He was the polar opposite of funny. "Corny" is about generous as I can be. With that notable exception aside, what BEST IN SHOW lacks in laughs is more than made up for by the characterizations impressively fleshed out by Guest and his stars. The rabid regulars on the dog show circuit were entirely believable, particularly with regard to the naivete of their dialogue and their interaction among friends, family and the competition. At times, the whole scenario was reminiscent of the cheap notoriety and common vulgarity that pervades those behind-the-scenes looks at little girls' beauty pageants, replete with stressed out stage moms and the self-imposed pre-show pressure that verges on abuse. It was this aspect of the film -- the big fish in a little pond -- that earned my conditional respect. The dry wit of BEST IN SHOW is often mildly amusing, but it's inconsistent and that left quite a few boring, sometimes annoying, lulls in my interest. Contrarily, this movie surprises with other mostly positive attributes that a select audience might find appealing enough to make it worth renting.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for dog lovers!
Review: I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive when I went to see "Best In Show". After the first 10 minutes, I realized that I was in for a great ride. I won't go into details (you can read Tom Reynolds review above for the plot), but I will say that this is one of the funniest movies I've seen a some time. The characters are funny yet strangely believable. I personally found Fred Willard's character a laugh riot. It's one of those movies where you find yourself repeating funny lines from the movie for days. See it before it leaves the theaters; you won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Best Belly Laughs for 'Best in Show'
Review: "Best in Show" is a funny movie. It's an over-the-top satire on a dog show. Easy target, you say? O.K., but it's not about the dogs. It's the characters who compete in the event, and the milieu has lots of comic possibilities. Listen closely: It's totally overplayed and mostly silly. But you can't argue with belly laughs. I believe it was not entirely scripted, and occasionally the improvisation is apparent. Co-written and directed by one Christopher Guest, who brought us "Waiting for Guffman," this movie is not just silly, it's also smart and insightful. Don't get me wrong, there's no message here -- I don't think. Although they say comedic acting is hard to do, you can't tell that here. You'll recognize the faces, though you won't know most of the names. Parker Posey plays a woman in doggie therapy with her husband. Ed Begley, Jr. is ever-patient and long-suffering as the hotel manager. Fred Willard plays the clueless show announcer to great effect. The humor is sometimes racy, but it's never gross-out. Dogs, friends of dogs and people who like to laugh, you're likely to like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Best In Mockumentary's
Review: If you saw Spinal Tap you know what Christopher Guest is capable of as far as so true, yet so "out there" pseudo Documentary. Best In Show is of the same calibre, the addition of Eugene Levy, and a great supporting cast of seasoned actors and actresses makes this only the more enjoyable movie, we enjoyed this movie and received the best "belly laughs" in a long while. So grab your popcorn and grab your favorite canine and watch and enjoy this work of comedic genius!.
Rating:
Summary: Who Let The Dogs Out?
Review: Writer/director Christopher Guest takes a look at the relationship between Man and that most loyal of beasts, the dog, in "Best In Show," a humorous satire presented in the same "mock documentary" style as Rob Reiner's "This Is Spinal Tap." It's a keen observation of human nature, as it is much more about the owners and handlers than about the dogs themselves, and much as David Byrne did with "True Stories," Guest presents a diverse community united by a single, common thread, that being their love for their dogs, and aspirations of winning the blue ribbon in the upcoming competition that will go to the top dog overall, the Best In Show. Through a series of interviews and memorable scenes, we are introduced to the owners and their beloved canines who will soon square off in the arena at the world class Mayflower Dog Show in Philadelphia. We get to know a bit about each of the participants, so we know just who they are and where they come from. Guest has assembled a terrific ensemble cast, who bring it all to life by creating a rich tapestry of characters culled from a true cross section of Americana: Good ol' boy Harlan Pepper (Guest), with his Bloodhound, "Hubert", from Pine Nut, North Carolina; a somewhat neurotic young couple from Illinois, Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock), members of the "Starbucks" set with their Weimaraner, "Beatrice;" Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara), a couple who could be anybody's next door neighbors, with their Norwich Terrier, "Winky", from Fern City, Florida; Leslie and Sheri Ann Ward Cabot (Patrick Cranshaw and Jennifer Coolidge) a wealthy couple who have a Standard Poodle, "Rhapsody In White", entrusted to the care of professional handler Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch); and finally, another couple, Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof (John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean), with their precious Shih Tzus, "Miss Agnes." This is a highly entertaining, funny movie, filled with wry, subtle humor that is delivered straight and never played for laughs, which makes it believable and real, and all the more hilarious. This is quite a group of characters, eclectic to say the least, and they're all real people. You're bound to run into someone you know among them. The dialogue is sharp, and rife with dry wit. And for anyone who's ever watched any kind of sporting event on television, you'll appreciate the parody of the so-called "color commentator," in this case a guy named Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard), that is dead on the money. His comments during an interview to a nonplused Dr. Millbank (Bob Balaban) about Columbus landing at Plymouth Rock will have you on the floor. There is so much here you can relate to, and it's all done in such good fun. Rounding out the outstanding supporting cast are Don Lake (Graham Chissolm), Jim Piddock (Trevor Beckwith), Ed Begley, Jr. (Hotel manager), Linda Kash (Fay Berman), Larry Miller (Max Berman) and Don S. Davis (Best In Show Judge). The performances here are good all around, with especially notable turns by O'Hara, Levy, Guest, Lynch and Willard. Written by Guest and Levy, "Best In Show" works so well because it holds up a mirror and reflects the lives we all lead in one way or another. As we watch, we realize that even as we are laughing at all of these characters and situations, at the same time we're laughing at ourselves as well; because there's more than a little bit of each one of us in there somewhere. And it reminds us that when things seem to be getting too serious, it's time to pick up that mirror and take a good look; and thanks to the frame of reference that a movie like this provides, you just may find something to laugh about, and be able to discover the "Best In Show" in your own life.
Rating:
Summary: A must see for any Guffman fan!
Review: This movie was great! It was awesome to see all the stars of Guffman back together again. Best in Show is a definate must for anyone who's seen Waiting for Guffman, and actually if you havn't you might want to before you catch Christopher Guest's newest. All the actors have dramatically different roles this time, but they pull them off perfectly again. Do not miss it!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely the funniest of the mockumentaries
Review: This is a fast moving and funny movie that's a truly great comedy, worthy enough to stand alongside This is Spinal Tap.
This one has everything. Conflict-who will win the dog show? Humor, and lots of it. Fred Willard again proves he needs his own TV show (nay, his own channel) as a dog-show commentator so obliviously stupid he's lovable. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are perfect as your typical, middle-class east-coast family; Eugene's plays somewhat of a "loser", Catherine's great as the promiscuous wife. Jennifer Coolidge is pretty funny as the "glamorous" lesbian who can be aggressive in subtly funny ways.
The best thing about this movie is that it's truly humorous with truly funny actors. These people aren't puppets for lame sex jokes (well, not counting both gay couples) they're funny because they (as in the talented actors, the whole lot of 'em) inherit their characters and give them a life of their own. I mean, I bet that Eugene Levy came up with his character's two left feet on the spot because he knew he had to make a somewhat pathetic character even more pathetic. There's an absolutely pointless scene where Guest's character, a southerner/hunter/ventriloquist, talks to the camera about how he used to stay up all night naming nuts. It's funny though, because it makes no sense but somehow falls in line with the character.
This is a great comedy that makes few cheap shots but is consistently funny through and through.
The DVD has a pretty entertaining commentary with Guest and Levy, and some funny deleted scenes (look for the one where Hamilton tells Posey about "a saying my father used to say"). Those extras are enough for this disc though, and the price is great. Buy this inspired and funny comedy.
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