Best in Show

Rating:
Summary: Pinenut, Pistachio Nut.....Just Nutty!
Review: One of the funniest, best acted films I have ever seen. It never gets old even after multiple viewings. Every member of the cast stands out. Parker Posey's scene in the pet shop searching for the bumble bee is sublime. O'Hara and Levy provide many laughs. (And I still chuckle thinking of her "walk" right before the big show.) Guest's portrayal of the good natured ventriloquist yokel is terrific and memorable. Coolidge's restrained protrayal of the soft-spoken hair-stylin' gold digger is a classic. Too many other great preformances to mention. If you are looking for something really amusing and insightful without vulgarity or meanness...look no further...this is best in show.

Rating:
Summary: Different opinions
Review: My husband gives it a 5. I lean more to the 3-4. It was slow to start but got hilarious. Keep the audience adult as it is adult humor and your kids will be shocked by some issues. This movie came highly recommended by many friends, so they all liked it.

Rating:
Summary: "He went after her like she was made out of ham!"
Review: This is a wonderful movie! I don't give it a fifth star because I think that these reviews are generally inflated. The title line is one of the throw-away gems that saturate this film (my other favorite is one of the dog owners grabbing his dog, staring into her face and shouting "don't look at (the other dogs), they're losers!"). Like "Waiting for Guffman" and "Spinal Tap" before, this movie is funny but without a mean-spirited bone in it's cinematic body. It has genuine affection for its characters, even the truly dis-likeable ones are viewed with a wry smile, not the adolescent sneer of so many other flms. Anyone who loves dogs will love this film.

Rating:
Summary: Mind-boggling, disturbing, and hilarious!
Review: This is the only Guest mockumentary I've seen so far, but I am in a frenzy to see the rest. Absolutely hilarious, fun, and crazy. Most of the film seemed like it was improved (brilliantly), though I'm sure it was all scripted. Absolute genius.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious to the bone !
Review: What can be said of this movie that hasn't already been said. As more and more folks discover this movie, it creeps onto everyone's top 10. The ensemble cast is brilliant and the writing is superb.

I assumed that my initial atraction to this movie was due to my love of dogs and my vast experience with dogs and their owners. They're all here and you have to marvel at how on-target the portrayals are. However, "Best In Show"'s appeal isn't limited to dog owners, trainers and groomers. It's a great comedy on all levels and any observer of the human condition will find themselves laughing like an idiot despite themselves.

The DVD edition of the movie is particularly worthwhile as it has some great outtakes that didn't make the cut. It's clear that the high level of skill at improvisation that the cast members possess made the movie what it is, a casual mock-documentary that ends up blowing you away with its brilliance.

Buy it today !

Rating:
Summary: The funniest movie in my library!
Review: This is the funniest movie for all types of humor!

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: If you liked Spinal tap, you will love this movie. It's by the same guy (Christopher Guess) and it's in the same format, but in my opinion it is even funnier than Spinal tap. I highly reccomend it

Rating:
Summary: A great "bark"umentary.
Review: Well, first off, this isn'y like an actual movie, for two reasons: It's an independent film, and it's more of a documentary than anything. The funniest part about it is Fred Willard as the first judge during the competition. There are some other funny lines and parts, but he steals the show, no pun intended. The Final Verdict: You might want to rent it, especially if you don't like documentary-type stuff or independent films.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS SPANIEL YAP!
Review: Best in Show is what could only be described as an affectionate mockumentary of the world of dog shows and their occasionally over-obsessed, over-ambitious, neurotic and downright barking mad owners. Co-written, directed and starring Christopher Guest, best known as Nigel Tufnell in 'This Is Spinal Tap', this could very much be considered the canine equivalent of Rob Reiner's acclaimed cult movie, for instead of a rock band behaving badly, instead we have some rather over-obsessed dog owner's behaving madly. If you will excuse the obvious pun, this is not so much Spinal Tap, as This is Spaniel Yap.

One of the great things about 'Best In Show' is that it is played as a straight documentary, and we never get any glimpses of the supposed documentary makers filming the would be champions proud owners and there are no nudges and winks to the camera. Very much as real documentaries do, 'Best In Show' follows five different couples from vastly different social backgrounds but all childless, with the exception of the four legged friends, as they seek tp win the title of top dog at the annual Mayflower dog show. It is very much fly on the wall and even though all the characters might be characterised as stereotypical, there is actually very little caricature, which is what makes it immensely funny and if you didn't know better, you might even believe it was real. There are no [] jokes that revolve around dog [mess] and most importantly of all 'Best In Show' is consistently funny all the way through.

There is so much to enjoy about this movie. Christopher Guest subtly directs it and it has a sharp and acutely well-observed script. It very much affectionately mocks the owner's whilst never seeking to either mock man's best friend or the world of dog shows. In fact I would say that to really enjoy this movie it helps to be a dog lover, you even find yourself laughing because in certain parts you recognise that some of the behaviour exhibited by the neurotic owners is not so different to ourselves with our own furry friends.

The cast of this movie includes no big stars but many familiar faces. For example Eugene Levy, the movie's co-author, who is previously best known for his role as the emabressing Dad in the American Pie movies appears as the literally two left-footed owner of a Norwich Terrier. His wife is played by Catherine O'Hara (Home Alone, Dick Tracy), who has a somewhat colourful past that seems to include a string of lovers in every bar in every town, much to Gerry's embaressment. There is also a [] couple played by Michael McKean, another Spinal Tap alumnus and John Michael Higgins (Ally MacBeal) who show shih-tzus and in the case of the latter, camp it up outrageously. Parker Posey (Scream 3) and Michael Hitchcock (Happy, Texas) play neurotic yuppie lawyers and parents to a Weimaraner apparently traumatised after seeing them perform 'the congress of the cow' from the karma sutra. Director Christopher Guest (Waiting For Guffman) plays a redneck bloodhound owner who can name every type of nut but tackiest of all is the gold-digging Sherri married to a senile millionaire about to shuffle off this mortal coil played by Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde), who is on the brink of a lesbian affair with the trainer of her beloved standard poodle. Ed Begley jnr even puts in a cameo appearance as a hotel manager. All the actors perform there parts with great subtlety and it is to their credit that many of the lines were apparently improvised.

If 'Best In Show' is for the most part a movie that keeps you quietly chuckling, it is also a film that will have you laughing out loud when the contestants finally reach the main event (The Mayflower Dog Show), as commentary for the show is provided in a sports cast style by Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard) who openly flaunts his ignorance of all things canine to comical effect and we are also treated to the sight of Gerry, two left feet 'n all parading his Norwich Terrier around the show ring. This is a little gem of a movie that I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious to say the least.
Review: Fred Willard (Jerry Hubbard from Fernwood 2 Nite) really makes me laugh.
There's also a guy with two left feet (Really TWO count 'em TWO left feet).

Got to be one of my favorite movies of all time.