There is a small, growing sub-genre of film that Writer-Director Christopher Guest is single-handedly contributing to. The mockumentary. Guest was one of the writers of ‘This Is Spinal Tap”, a film that is currently enjoying another wave of publicity. He created “Waiting For Guffman”, a hilarious ‘documentary’ about a small town’s efforts to bring some culture to their lives. Now, he brings us “Best In Show”, about the Mayflower Dog Show in Philadelphia.
“Best In Show” follows five contestants in the prestigious Mayflower Dog Show competition. The first is Harlan Pepper (Guest), a North Carolina bait shop owner that cares for a great Blood Hound. Pepper is interesting in that he appears to be a hick, but has more common sense than people that believe they are smarter. Pepper has two friends that he leaves in care of his shop when he makes the trek to Philadelphia. As he drives away, one of them shouts “If you get tired, pull over. If you get hungry, eat.”
Scott and Stefan (John Michael Higgans and Michael McKean) are lovers and the owners of a champion Shih Tzu. Scott finds it necessary to pack seven kimonos for a 48 hour trip. A lot of their laughs come from images we have of other gay couples that are financially secure and well off. Their relationship has a certain amount of truth to it that makes it believable. I completely believed that Scott’s flaming personality would be attracted to Stefan’s more grounded attitudes.
Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) are the most off-center, and for that reason unnatural. Gerry has two left feet, literally, and Cookie has had a very promiscuous past. These two jokes run throughout most of the scenes in which they appear. However, there is a certain attraction between them that makes the relationship seem very believable. They are the owners of a small Terrier.
Hamilton and Meg Swan (Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey) are yuppie lawyers traumatized by the fact that their beloved Weimaraner has seen them having sex. Winning the Best In Show award means a lot for them, but they are constantly afraid of their pet developing a psychosis, babying the pet to compensate for the missing child in their life. God help them if they actually have a baby.
The last entrant is a poodle handled by Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch). Christy is employed by Sheri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge), a busty woman married to a rich, old man. This alone provoked many laughs in the wake of the Anna Nicole Smith judgement. Sheri is very supportive of Christy, helping her build up the kennel that she runs. The poodle was awarded Best In Show the previous two years, so the stakes are very high.
My one complaint about this very funny film is that some of the characters are looking a little familiar. Each of Guest’s films incorporate a certain amount of ad lib, creating a fresh ness that is not found in a tightly scripted film. However, the characters that Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy play are fairly similar to their characters in “Waiting For Guffman”. Other characters are also very similar, yet played by different people.
Overall, the film is a welcome treat, providing intelligent laughs throughout. Each of the characters has very real elements to them, mixed with all of the comedic foibles they endure, causing them to become memorable. Fred Willard plays the commentator for the dog show. His performance is truly funny, much of the laughs came from my constant comparisons to some of the Olympic commentary I have seen recently. I find it amazing how similar his character is to many of the worst Olympic commentators, yet, he manages to find a step that will take the performance into the realm of intentional comedy.
I found it refreshing to go to a comedy and not be assaulted by gratuitous jokes about human defecation, orgasms, sex and the problems of high school kids.
“Best of Show’ is currently playing on two screens in Los Angeles, indicating that the studio is going to release the film slowly. Please go to see it. Support the film. Encourage a filmmaker that is trying to create well-made comedies.
Christopher Guest brings his unique brand of lunacy to the screen with another mockumentary in the tradition of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. This one BEST IN ...More at Family Video
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