Finally, a movie for dog people! I just don't understand
why the world has been taken over by cat people. What's with that? Anyway,
Best
In Show is about dogs and the people who own and show them, and there
is nary a cat in sight. This film is loosely based on the competition
in the famous Westminster
Kennel Club Dog Show. The story follows the owners of five dogs as
they prepare for and compete in the dog show. The cast is great, including
two thirds of Spinal Tap (Christopher
Guest and Michael McKean), two members of SCTV
(Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) as well as Parker Posey, Fred Willard
and Ed Begley Jr. Best In Show was directed by Guest who also
co-wrote the script with Levy. Previously, Guest and Levy teamed
up on Waiting For Guffman.
This film is a bit of a reunion since at least 8 members of the cast appeared
in both movies. Best In Show is a satire but if you've seen the
real dog show, then you'll realize that they would have to go way over
the top to be funnier than the real thing. Never fear, this movie
is way over the top. When this works, Best In Show is very
funny and when it doesn't, you cringe. Often, it's a little of both.
Guest puts in an amazing performance as the southern, fish-loving, ventriloquist
owner of the Bloodhound. Levy, as the owner of the Norwich Terrier, produces
another one of his many characters who are so geeky and scarily weird that
it sets your teeth on edge. O'Hara is also good as Levy's wife who
has apparently slept with every man in America. The most entertaining trio
are the dysfunctional family played by Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock
and their Weimeraner. The other two dogs (a Shih Tzu and a Poodle)
are owned by gay (Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins) and lesbian
(Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch) couples. As I've commented
before, I don't share the apparent feeling of American filmmakers and audiences
alike that there's nothing funnier than someone who is gay. These
characters in Best In Show are not very funny. Fred Willard
does a humorous turn as the know-nothing play-by-play commentator at the
Dog Show. However, the real stars of this film are Beatrice (Weimeraner),
Winky (Norwich Terrier), Miss Agnes (Shih Tzu), Rhapsody in White (Poodle),
and Hubert (Bloodhound). They all put in Oscar-caliber performances
and steal every scene that they appear in. And I won't spoil the
end by telling you who wins Best In Show.