Best in Show

Plot synopsis:
Best in Show is presented as a documentary of five dogs and their owners destined to show in the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, held in Philadelphia. Segments of the documentary continuously cycle among owners and handlers as each prepares to leave for the show, arrives at the hotel, prepares backstage, handles their dog's performance, and appears in a post-show follow-up. The owners and their dogs include:
Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara), with their Norwich Terrier Winky -
A middle-class couple from Florida, who run into monetary problems and are forced to sleep in the hotel's storage room when they finally arrive. Throughout the film, they encounter men Cookie has slept with during her youth.
Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock), with their Weimaraner Beatrice -
An upper-class, stereotypical yuppie couple from Chicago, they think they are taking great care of Beatrice (although really they are just confusing and upsetting her with their neurotic behavior), going as far as taking her to a therapist after she sees Meg and Hamilton have sex. At the show, the Swans believe that Beatrice will become unnerved without her favorite toy, the "Busy Bee", and frantically search for a replacement for it before the show.
Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest) and his Bloodhound Hubert -
Harlan is the owner of a fishing goods store, and prides himself on being able to name nuts. Pepper's family has raised a variety of hounds for generations, and Harlan continues the tradition by raising bloodhounds (though he has aspirations of becoming a ventriloquist; the dummy known as "Lil Buddy" was carved by Tim Selberg).
Sherri Ann and Leslie Ward Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Cranshaw) with their Standard Poodle Rhapsody in White (a.k.a. Butch) -
A two-time past winner of the show. Sherri Ann is a trophy wife to the elderly Leslie, her sugar daddy. They are assisted by trainer Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) who makes sure the dog is truly ready for the show, while Sherri Ann fixates on giving Christy a makeover and Leslie remains utterly oblivious. Over the course of the film, Sherri Ann and Leslie's sham marriage and Sherri Ann and Christy's romantic involvement becomes apparent.
Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof (John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean) and their Shih Tzu Miss Agnes -
A campy gay couple, they take great pride in their dog, and are confident that she will win the competition. They have a love of old movies, and enjoy making fun of Christy Cummings, but are friendly to the other competitors, especially the Flecks. In fact, when Winky wins Best in Show, Scott is the first to walk up and congratulate Gerry.
The owners and their dogs all arrive in time for the show, which is hosted by dog expert Trevor Beckwith (Jim Piddock), and oblivious "color" commentator Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard). During the first round, Beatrice is disqualified when Hamilton cannot control her, but the other four dogs advance to the final round. Just before the finals, Cookie dislocates her knee and insists that Gerry take over for her. Though the audience is initially awed by seeing Gerry's "two left feet" (the result of a birth defect), ultimately Winky takes Best in Show.
Afterwards, the film explores what each character is doing after the competition. Gerry and Cookie return home to Florida and are overcome with attention after the victory. They go on to record, in amusingly bad style, songs about terriers but discover to Gerry's frustration that the recording engineer is yet another of Cookie's ex-boyfriends (Steven Porter). Sherri Ann and Christy have entered into a partnership (It is unknown if either Leslie has died or if he has gotten divorced from Sherri Ann.) and publish a magazine for lesbian owners of purebred dogs, called American Bitch. Harlan fulfills his dreams and becomes a ventriloquist, entertaining sparse crowds with a honky tonk song and dance number. Stefan and Scott are in the process of designing a calendar featuring Shih Tzu dogs appearing in scenes, with appropriate costume, from famous classic films, such as Gone with the Wind and Casablanca (and McMillan and Wife, for some reason.) Hamilton and Meg Swan have given Beatrice away, allowing them to enjoy a calmer, more loving partnership as well as a new dog (a pug) named Kipper, that they claim enjoys watching them make love. The closing shot is of the Pug attempting to have sex with the therapist's leg.

Tags: comedy, boring, psychedelic, absurd, humor, satire, entertaining

Review:
When the advertising for Best in Show had the tagline "From the Team That Brought You Waiting for Guffman", a fair number of critics out there implied in their reviews that only people that are familiar with the film or its filmmakers and cast would have a good time seeing this film.
We have the loveable and gullable Harry Pepper (Guest) with his bloodhound, the simple Gerry & Cookie Fleck (Levy & O'Hara) with their terriors, nut-case yuppies Hamilton & Meg Swan (Hitchcock & Posey), the gay dog groomers Scott Dolan & Stefan Vanderhoof (Higgins & McKean), and the airheaded millionare Sheri Ann Ward Cabot (Coolidge) along with her trainer Christy Cummings (Lynch).
And...do I have to tell you the rest?Director/writer/star Guest's idea of humor is one that assures me that there are comedies out there that are worth laughing at, and that the idiocy of films like "American Pie" or other pointless "teenage" flicks won't take over the world after all.
(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.
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.
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.
Spinal Tap was non-stop hilarity, joke after joke whereas Best in Show was had a few more lulls (and by that I mean say 3 minute at MOST where something riotously funny doesn't happen), but the big laughs are even bigger.The casting in this one is great and even the typically out of place in, uh movies in general Parker Posey does a fine job.
In fact, her tirade directed at Ed Begley Jr. and a pet store owner over a lost dog toy is probably the funniest running gag of the film.What's amazing about this movie to me is how the writers somehow managed to weave a plot, simple as it was, around these great jokes so that it actually felt like it had direction.
'We like the same things - soup, snow peas, talking - and not talking.' I thought to myself 'what is this - some kind of weird porn movie?' And I continued ignoring it for a while longer until I heard the voices of Levy and Begley Jr. It was then I remembered what the girlfriend had said.I looked the movie up at the IMDb quickly and was surprised to see who was behind it: Christopher Guest aka Nigel Tufnel, the man with the extra loud guitar amplifier.
As the lead guitarist in the aforementioned This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and the director, writer and star of Waiting for Guffman (1997), he is perhaps the master of the field, exploring a common theme, as reflected in the Guffman tag line: "There's a good reason some talent remains undiscovered." Guest explores this theme further in Best in Show, looking at ordinary people not mockingly but almost tenderly.
Christopher Guest's Best of Show follows his great tradition of fake-documentaries which includes This is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman.
Other contenders include Michael McKean, Michael Hitchcock, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Parker Posey and in a exceptional effort as a man with 2 left feet, Eugene Levy (he also co-wrote the script with Guest).
After watching the movie about 75 times I have come to the conclusion that there is no weak character or actor in this film.
Guess and Levy apparently said, let's make a comedy with lots of funny people and sight gags, let's use improvisation, and use a dog show in Philadelphia as a reason for following the lives of all these "fringe" personalities.
From the amusing and quirky "Waiting for Guffman", to the surprisingly heartfelt "A Might Wind", Guest's films have been consistently hilarious and have maintained a frankly shocking degree of freshness through the years.While individual tastes vary between fans, and while everyone has their own personal favorite Guest film, I know I'm certainly in no minority to feel that the greatest achievement of his career is the incredible and frankly brilliant 2000 release "Best in Show." A film I feel is amongst the most underrated and under-appreciated comedies of all time.
Among them are Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara), a friendly and seemingly average middle- class couple who hope their terrier has what it takes; Harlan Pepper (director Guest), a southern man with a pronounced drawl who raises bloodhounds and has some interesting aspirations; Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock)- the most stereotypical upper-class yuppie- hipsters you could ever imagine; camp gay couple Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof (John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean) and their Shih Tzu and Sherri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge), a wealthy trophy-wife and two- time winner of the competition.A film made heavily through improvisational comedy and a clever, high-concept hook, "Best in Show" is such a wild success thanks to the incredible cast of performers assembled, and the delightfully bizarre characters they cultivate.
Director Guest skillfully pulls out non-stop moments of charm and laughs from the amazing cast, and puts together one heck of a show.Though the film's appeal may be lost on those looking for a more general joke-a-minute-riot, "Best in Show" encapsulates many of the best instances of clever comedy to emerge in recent memory.
The great fun of the film is seeing people who feel like they could very well exist, even if they are exaggerated for comedy, in a situation that's just odd enough that the average person would find it fascinating.
Considered by many who have watched all three of Christopher Guest's "mockumentary" films as his funniest, "Best In Show" is guaranteed to evoke a number of laughs and offend someone.This is a typical modern-day comedy meaning that sex jokes dominate and there is both a gay and lesbian "couple." So, if you've heard this is about dog shows, don't rush out and rent this and watch it with the kiddies.
Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, and Bob Balaban also do great jobs (I can't imagine them not doing great jobs, at least not in a Christopher Guest movie).
After watching the film itself, I was left wondering why some weren't spliced into the finished product, since "Best" isn't nearly as good as "Guffman" or Christopher Guest's previous foray into 'mockumentaries,' "This is Spinal Tap." What we're left with is a fitfully funny, faux behind-the-scenes look at dog competitions with characters that lack the authenticity of the small-town performers in "Guffman" and the washed-up metalheads of "Tap"--these people (down to Eugene Levy's 2 left feet and Parker Posey's braces) smack of artificiality.
While the film is funny and ultimately satisfying for fans of Guest's observational brand of humor, I found myself smiling more than laughing at "Best in Show.".
BEST IN SHOW (2000) ***1/2 Christopher Guest, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Catherine O' Hara, John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean, Patrick Crenshaw, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Bob Balaban, Don Lake, Jim Piddock, Fred Willard, Ed Begley, Jr., Larry Miller.
Christopher Guest is fast becoming one of the best  mockumentary filmmakers with his latest triumph, a pointed take at dog show contestants and their addled owners.The setting is the annual Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show in Philadelphia which brings together some very memorable characters for competition.
Included are in no particular order, all equally funny: Meg and Hamilton Swan (Posey and Hitchcock), the most obnoxious WASPs ever satirized on the big screen, whose `baby' Beatrice, is a purebred Weimaraner they dote on including extensive psychotherapy thanks to their dog witnessing their sexual antics; Gerry and Cookie Fleck (co-writer Levy and O'Hara, `SCTV' alums) who have unique characteristics as well: he literally has two left feet and she an apparent sexual history to rival Wilt Chamberlain, and their prized Norwich terrier Winky; gay couple Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof (Higgins - best known as David Letterman in HBO's telepic `The Late Show', and Guest's fellow `Spinal Tap'per partner in crime McKean), NYC hair salon stylists and their Shih Tzu they adore if not more than themselves; Leslie Ward Cabot and his decades younger trophy wife Sherri Ann (veteran character actor Crenshaw best remembered for his recurring appearances on tv's sitcom `Alice' and Coolidge, the sexy mom in `American Pie'), a buxom Anna Nicole Smith manque, whose standard poodle is represented byaward-winning handler Christy Cummings (Lynch eerily echoing Anne Heche), as a competitive not-so-secret lesbian lover of the bodacious and vacuous Sherri Ann;  and finally Guest himself as the drawling North Carolina bred good ol' boy and fly fishing shop proprietor Harlan Pepper, sporting the most unusual shade of burnt sienna hair not unlike a Crayola and his beloved bloodhound, Hubert, who also shares a predelection for ventriloquism.
Along the way Guest allows his very talented cast of actors to improvise their way into uncharted hilarity skillfully skewering the vacant, pompous and ridiculous extents people will take to preen over their pets (like his previous films, Guest outlines a script rather than provide extensive dialogue and it clearly is his forte) oblivious to their grotesqueries.There are so many side-splitting scenes from cuckolded Levy constantly being bombarded by frank sexual talk about his betrothed (particularly in a stop over to O' Hara's numerous exes, memorably played by a horny Miller); the anal retentive hotel manager portrayed by Begley (who accomodates from one extreme to the other but ultimately on the hygenic ways his staff will go to at lengths whenever the dog show is in town); to the flamboyant double entendres tossed by Higgins and his flashy clothing (8 count 'em 8 silk komonos for a 48 hour stint!).
But hats off to Willard who steals the show as the event's color commentator Buck Laughlin whose inept improvisatory will have you laughing out loud and reveling on the nice riff he does of all those doofus sports announcers who think they know everything and kudos to his straight-man Piddock as Trevor Beckwith, who manages to implode with dignity.Easily one of the funniest films of this year or in any year and it's always a pleasure to have a most welcome Guest as the host to showcasing limited talent so eloquently..
This is the best out of the three Guest films, the other two being 'Spinal Tap' and 'Waiting For Guffman.' My only complaint is that it should have been longer, for it is only 90 minutes.
While not as brilliant or as quotable as This Is Spinal Tap, writer/actor/director Christopher Guest's character driven mockumentary Best In Show-which is centred on the world of dog shows-still has plenty of wonderful, well-observed moments of dry wit, and is one of those films that I believe can only improve with repeat viewings.The film owes much of its success to its superb cast: Guest plays Harlan Pepper, redneck owner of a prize bloodhound; Eugene Levy is superb as buck-toothed Gerry Fleck, husband to Terrier owner Cookie (Catherine O'Hara), who has been around the block a lot more times than her dog; Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey are the neurotic yuppie owners of a pampered Weimaraner; Jennifer 'Stifler's Mom' Coolidge plays Sherri, rich owner of a champion poodle, while Jane Lynch plays her lesbian dog trainer; and Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins play a camp gay couple who are showing their Shih Tzu. Meanwhile, Fred Willard shines as the hilariously un-PC co-host of the dog show, whose every remark is a howler.7/10, but this rating may well go up in the future..
Best in Show, while on the surface a Christopher Guest mockumentary about competitive dog owners and over-the-top prestigious dog pageants, makes a particular comment on humans in comparison to animals.
The humans make stupid decisions, overreact at things that don't matter, argue, scream and fight tooth and claw to win the blue ribbon, while the Dogs sit peacefully, seemingly unaware, or totally aware and choosing to ignore it.Best in Show is a hilarious movie.
This movie is incredibly hilarious, the eccentric people and their dogs competing for the best in show is a great example of intelligent humor.
If you want good comedy and a chance to see the funny interaction of people and their dogs, you must watch this.
There are quite a few amusing moments, but the film never inspired in me much beyond a modest chuckle.Mostly to blame, I think, is the fact that Guest enlarges his ensemble too much, with the result that no one really has enough screen time to create full characters with personalities of their own.
(The best of them is Eugene Levy's Fleck - a gauche yet humane man who isn't so much jealous of his wife's former lovers, as sick to death of running into them.)I suppose the jokes could have been zinged up a bit, too - making a film out of improvised humour is probably a mistake, even when the improvisations are this good.It's still funny.
Not just because it is a wickedly funny movie, well written, well acted, and well produced, but because it makes fun of one of the most idiotic aspect of our culture, dog shows.
The story basically follows several different owners as they enter a dog show, through to it being won, and then briefly what happens to them after.The problem is, every character is supremely annoying or dull and that was pretty much the only joke in the film.
I think it got about one laugh, and a couple of smiles throughout, and the rest of the time i was in pain.If you think the idea of someone reciting a line, sometimes saying something ever so slightly odd, in a matter of fact and totally deadpan way is enough for a supposed comedy, well, you may like it, but i wouldn't class it as humorous in the slightest when done repeatedly for an entire movie.
The film benefits from a brilliant cast of comedic veterans such as Guest, Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr. and Larry Miller.
So it's not really much of a criticism in pointing out that Best in Show is not as good as Spinal Tap. It is a satire on the kind of people who participate in championship dog breeding.
It works because the actors in the ensemble cast are all adept at improvised comedy, so it's a film full of little moments rather than a major story arc.Spinal Tap's Christopher Guest directs as well as acts in this one.
There are a few laugh-out-loud funny moments though, such as the scene revealing the man with two left feet; while virtually every line uttered by the TV commentator played by the excellent Fred Willard is comedy gold.
The wildly inventive and talented crew (Eugene Levy, Maureen O'Hara, Michael McKeon, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, etc.) of Guest directed films take control of their characters and bring them to places that are somewhat predictable but awkwardly funny none the less.
He also does all of those things in this movie by the way and then some more as well.It's obvious director and writer Christopher Guest let his actors do a whole lot of improvisation and gave them lots of room to play.
Man, some of the stuff he says is absolute great and hilarious.The characters and the sort of not everyday and sort of odd background story of a dog-show is what makes this movie work and fun to watch.
If you have seen any other Christopher Guest movies - this is typical of his style.Basically, the story is about the behind the scenes activities and personalities of a group of dog show competitors.
Best In Show, directed by This Is Spinal Tap star Christopher Guest, who also directed Waiting for Guffman, is an exercise in improve comedy, and that allows for drier wit and more genuine sounding humor.
Take the Eugene Levy character (Levy by the way is a co-writer with Guest, which means he either thought of the dog show premise, or the movie's title), Jerry Fleck.
`Best in Show', Christopher Guest's mockumentary about the dog show industry is, in my opinion, not quite as clever as `A Mighty Wind', but it is still hilarious nonetheless.
Christopher Guest's 'Best in Show' may not be an all-time champion, but it is funny, the most important attribute for a comedy.
Christopher Guest brings a funny and sometime scary look into the hilarious world of professional dog shows and their contestants.
Christopher Guest outdoes his Waiting For Guffman with this absolutely hysterical film about dog competitions and the people who compete in them with their pets.
This is my best effort: In standard movies, we know that the people on the screen are actors playing characters.
While not quite as hilarious as "Waiting for Guffman," Christopher Guest's follow-up is a heavily-improvised, gut-busting look at dog shows.