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Best in Show 2000 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Christopher Guest
PG-13, 90 min. (language, sexual humor) |
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Starring: Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch
Producer: Karen Murphy
Screenplay: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
Cinematography: Roberto Schaefer
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Released: 9.29.00 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
It's actually surprising that this film was not made sooner, because the entire concept of a dog show is comical in itself, but
until now, has not been exposed to light-hearted jabs. Well, Best in Show accomplishes this, and does it ever. The
film's approach - telling the story through a documentary-type movie - makes it all the more effective, and it generates even
more laughs than otherwise expected. Just the idea that dogs are pampered to, catered to, and treated like children is, to me
anyway, hilarious. Almost no part of the dog show escapes some sardonic criticism, which makes the film all the more
enjoyable.
We follow the lives of several dog owners, from their homes where they are interviewed before the show, to their eventual
showcasing of their dogs at the annual Philadelphia Mayflower Kennel dog show. These dog owners include Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy
and Catherine O'Hara), a business man and a woman with a somewhat morally-challenged past, Hamilton and Meg Swan
(Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey), a superficial couple with a love for clothing catalouges, Scott Donlan (John Michael Higgins) and
Stefan Vanderhoof (Michael McKean), a gay couple who continually shock others, Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest), a
southerner with a slow-paced life to match his dog, and Sherri Ann Ward Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge), whose life revolves around
her dog (and the dog-handler).
Director/Writer Christopher Guest wanted to show the whole event of the dog show, not just the show itself, but the events leading up
to and surrounding the show. By following each dog owner's lives and their efforts to do everything possible to ensure
victory at the show, Guest has constructed some extremely funny scenes of even the most trivial matters. My favorite scene
in the film, which shows Parker Posey screaming at a pet shop clerk in an effort to find a "busy-bee" for her dog, is reminiscent
of the best Monty Python skits - and probably is the film's pinnacle moment.
Satire has been effectively used for many comedic films, and it doesn't disappoint here. The degree to which each owner
will go (or not go) to win a prize for an animal is comical in itself, but when you see how important it is to the characters in the
film, it takes the humor of the film to another level. I can't see how anyone couldn't laugh throughout most of this movie,
unless they find offense to making fun of dog shows or don't understand the humor portrayed. Best in Show isn't the funniest
movie I've ever seen, but it's definitely one of the funniest to come along in a long time.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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