Best in Show (2000)

Director:

Christopher Guest

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Guest (written by) &
Eugene Levy (written by)

Release Date:

1 March 2001 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Some pets deserve a little more respect than others.

Plot:

A colorful array of characters competes at a national dog show.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Dog Show | Florida | Hotel | Ventriloquist

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jay Brazeau	...	Dr. Chuck Nelken
Parker Posey	...	Meg Swan
Michael Hitchcock	...	Hamilton Swan
Catherine O'Hara	...	Cookie Fleck
Eugene Levy	...	Gerry Fleck
Carrie Aizley	...	Fern City Show Spectator
Lewis Arquette	...	Fern City Show Spectator
Dany Canino	...	Fern City Show Judge
Bob Balaban	...	Dr. Theodore W. Millbank, III
Will Sasso	...	Fishin' Hole Guy
Stephen E. Miller	...	Fishin' Hole Guy
Christopher Guest	...	Harlan Pepper
Michael McKean	...	Stefan Vanderhoof
John Michael Higgins	...	Scott Donlan
Colin Cunningham	...	New York Butcher

Also Known As:

Dog Show (USA) (working title)
Dogumentary (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sex-related material.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:15 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:PG-13 (No. 37689) | Greece:K | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | New Zealand:PG | Spain:T | UK:12 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Fred Willard's character Buck Laughlin was based on baseball legend Joe Garagiola, who had co-hosted the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in years past, to similar effect.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the movie there is a title that reads, "Six Months Later." However when the movie shows what happened to the Rhapsody in White characters one of them says "It's been a year."

Quotes:

[an additional scene from the dvd, at Stefan's hair salon]
Stefan Vanderhoof: When I started here all there was was lampshade warehouses and leather bars, the serious leather bars where you wouldn't get in unless you had a rubber ball stuffed in your mouth, the wine list was tattooed on the bar tender's face. That kind of place. I remember one guy had a bicycle reflector sewn onto one nipple.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Yes, Dear: Worst in Show (#1.23)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Terrier Style

It's a Riot

Right before turning in, the girlfriend said that if I was still up working into the wee hours I should take a break and turn on the telly. Best in Show would be on and although she hadn't seen it, she'd heard it got great reviews.

I kept working and forgot the time. The telly was on but I ignored it. All of a sudden I began hearing this very weird dialog. '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. I knew then I was lucky to still be awake to witness this one.

I made two more checks at the IMDb before getting back to the movie: the number of awards and nominations and the box office. Not surprisingly this was a low budget venture, and not surprisingly either it's garnered tonnes of awards and nominations. The studio made a profit off this one, but it's pocket change in comparison to the big blockbusters. Still, it must be a kind of Woody Allen and Orion kind of thing: movies like this make the studio look good.

On to the movie: it's a riot, a bloody riot. It might not be your cuppa, but then OK - turn it off or watch something else. But there is so much in this one - it plays a bit like an Altman. Lots of hand-held too. And when you finally get to the show itself on comes Fred Willard and takes it away. He uses Jim Piddock as a foil - actually he uses almost everything as a foil. And if you think his portrayal is too much over the top, reflect on the fact it's supposedly a copy of an actual commentator at shows of this kind.

This type of movie is either extraordinarily difficult or admirably easy to make, and I suspect it's a bit of both. Some of the skits are just too much, and everywhere you turn the acting is inspired. One scene with I believe Posey in a pet shop is precious - and not only her work but the shop assistant's. Amazing stuff.

Mostly my sympathies went to Begley Jr who was the receptionist at the hotel. Meeting all these weird types and trying to remain accommodating and representative - it must be difficult if not impossible. There are some very weird characters in this one.

And you may be asking yourselves 'watch a mockumentary about a dog show and its participants?' And that's the whole point - it's hilarious; it's a riot.

I give it an 11.