[.ca] Best in Show (Widescreen)

Not quite "Best":
Christopher Guest has a rare misstep in "Best in Show," the follow-up to comedy classic "Waiting for Guffman." While "Best" is still a fun and frenetic mockumentary, it isn't up to the standards of its sibling mockumentaries -- it's a little too repetitive and over-the-top. Welcome to Philadelphia, the home of the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. Among the crazy dog owners are Starbucks yuppies Hamilton and Meg Swan (Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey), gay couple Scott and Stefan (John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean), ventrilogist hick Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest), and buxom airhead Sherri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge) and her lover/trainer Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch). Front and center is two-left-footed Gerry Fleck (Eugene Levy) and his wife Cookie (Catherine O'Hara), whose sexy past keeps coming back to haunt her. All these people converge at the dog show, and face difficulties ranging from wrenched knees to televised lesbian smooches to lost squeaky toys -- and some of the dogs are getting a bit crazy as well. With an obnoxious commentator watching over it all, they all strive for the ultimate prize. Poodle, Norwich terrier, bloodhound, Shih Tzu or emotionally scarred Weimaraner -- who will be best in show? "Best in Show" does for dog shows what "This is Spinal Tap" did for old metal -- it makes affectionate fun of them. Christopher Guest returns to mockumentary turf in the moderately funny "Best in Show" -- it's flawed, but still far above the average comedy. The biggest problem with "Best in Show" is that Guest tries too hard. The jokes and goofiness are over-the-top, belying the mockumentary format. And the jokes get a bit repetitive. How many times can Cookie run into old boyfriends? Isn't the gay humor both cliched and overdone? But, the humor itself is quite funny, with plenty of strange lines like "We have so much in common! We both love soup... and the outdoors... snow peas... talking and not talking. We could not talk or talk forever and still find things to not talk about." No flaws can be found in the veteran mockumentary cast -- these people look like they're having a good time. Hitchcock and Posey are chillingly good as the couple who met over J. Crew catalogues in a Starbucks, while Coolidge is deliciously dumb as a bisexual Anna Nicole Smith clone. McKean and Higgins, despite being cliched, play their roles with unadulterated delight. Fred Willard's vulgar commentator is over-the-top stupid, but still amusing. Despite repetitive humor and the occasional dud joke, Christopher Guest's follow-up to "Waiting for Guffman" is an amusing look behind the scenes of dog shows. It's not "Best in Show," but it's one of the best of breed.

What does the smell of victory smells like to you -- just don't step in it:
I always thought that comedies are usually the easiest films to write which possibly explains why we have so many. Yet, 'Best in Show' is somewhat different compared to the comedies presented to us here. Directed again by Guest was for a large part improvised according to the film's documentary and is quite different from today's standards. This story is mainly about The Mayflower Kennel Dog Show which is like the Super Bowl of dog shoes; and in documentary style this film showcases the incredibly over-the-top preparations the dog owners take part in for this show. The film constantly cuts from interviews with these zany characters to actual interactive footage shot while on their way to the dog show. All in documentary style that a person who is uneducated about the film can easily mistake for a genuine documentary. This film contains an all-star cast that includes actors who really know how to act and that capture the essence of each scene. This film is lined with scene after scene of hilarious bits focusing upon these characters and the manner in which they handle their canines like minor deities. Guest also takes part as one of the major characters of course and plays Harlan Pepper; a fishing-store owner who travels to the Kennel Dog Show in his Winnebago in hopes of capturing the championship. He is just one of the many developed and layered characters that is fun to watch. Other characters include Parker Posey as a sexually deprived nagging wife who becomes insane with anger after losing her dog's toy. Eugene Levy plays the part of terribly jealous husband born with two left feet to Catherine O'Hara who plays his wife who cannot stop running into men she slept with in the past. Other characters include Michael McKean who plays a homosexual dog owner who steals the movie away from the others when sharing scenes with his male companion during the film's many interview sequences. Fred Willard who takes the art of improvisation to new heights as the dog's shows color commentator is quite funny. As far as breaking new ground is concerned, this film does not. Aforesaid, it is unconventional and different from others but in the end is a different film with regular results. This film does contain elements that most films do not such as richly textured characters and great acting, but at it's heart cannot break free from the monotonous tone a documentary usually brings with it. Even though it is a mock documentary that does not take itself seriously, it still is a bit over-the-top. Resulting in a different and unconventional film that will best be viewed by fans and new ones--like my self.

Not So Good In Show!:
This was a terrible movie. I myself am a dog lover and do enjoy good dog movies but this movie was the pit of all bad movies. This mockumentory of a dog show was sick and completly insulted the dog world. I know it was a joke but it was too much. Don't let the other good reviews fool you because if your are a dog person you might choke on your popcorn in disgust for this pitiful movie.

Great movie:
This is a great set of actors (humans and dogs)! They work so well together this movie is a hit. I am a huge dog lover and i think it is important to laugh at how much you are similar to your dog. The dog show world is incredibly intense and as a mockumentary they remind us dog lovers to relax a bit on how we love our babies. Don't be fooled by the offened reviewers, i don't know if they can laugh at themselves...yet.

Definitely the funniest of the mockumentaries:
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.