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8 out of 11 people found the following comment useful:-
Dog people, amusing enough in real life, are much more so in Christoher Guest's master mockumentary., 2 March 2001
Author:
Terry Meehan from Lakewood, Ohio
Best in Show (2000)
Directed by Christopher Guest.
Written by Guest and Eugene Levy.
Starring Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Levy, Catherine O'Hara,
John
Michael Higgins, Michael McKean, Guest and Fred Willard.
Running Time: 90 minutes Rated PG-13
Dog people, and the dogs that own them, are often
amusing in real life. But in the hands of master
mock documentarist Christopher Guest, the amusement
is marvelously magnified. (Guest practically invented
the "mockumentary" with his 1984 rock band send-up,
"This is Spinal Tap.")
In the days leading up to the Mayfair Kennel Club
Dog Show, several sets of contestants make their
way to Philadelphia to realize a dream of being
"Best in Show." There's a pair of New York yuppies
(Posey and Hitchcock) who are even higher strung
than their willful weimaraner. A gay couple
(Higgins and McKean) shows up to show off their
shih tzu. A Florida husband and wife (Levy and
O'Hara) make the trip with their terrier,
discovering along the way that every man they
meet is one of her former lovers. And finally,
springing fully-grown from a country music song,
lonely guy Harlan Pepper (Guest) arrives from
North Carolina in a pickup truck with his
droop-faced bloodhound. Once at the show, the
odd assortment of owners conduct their canines
toward a "best in show" showdown, where
brilliantly inept color commentary is provided
by Buck Laughlin (Willard).
Even though fairly well known actors play the
primary roles, Guest achieves a documentary feel,
mainly because much of the dialogue seems
improvised. As writer-director, he deserves credit,
either for writing sharp dialogue, or for directing
in a way that inspires creativity in his actors.
Some of the best lines come from Posey and Hitchcock,
the yuppie couple who met when their eyes locked as
they sipped coffee at separate but close-by Starbucks,
and whose pooch becomes paranoid whenever they get
intimate in its presence. The other cast members ably
deliver lines that define their quirky characters.
Especially good is O'Hara as a woman with a past who
is nonetheless devoted to spouse Levy, who literally
has two left feet. Even the background extras,
probably real-life dog handlers, are fascinating to
watch, and seem to inhabit their own documentaries,
waiting for their own close-ups.
The last third of the film brings the entire cast
together for the "Best in Show" competition. This
is where Willard, who seems to have wandered in
from a slow day at the XFL, delivers his wildly
comic commentary, which amazes and befuddles his
more serious partner. (For a while, there was
actually some Oscar buzz for Willard's performance
here.) Though the film pokes fun at the dog show
circuit, it also reveals a fondness for the people
involved. It may not inspire you to become a dog
show person, but it just may have you looking in
the classifieds to see when the next real-life
show is coming to your town.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
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