Directed by: Christopher Guest
Written by: Christopher Guest & Eugene Levy
Starring: Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest. John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy
Rating: [4.5/5]
Fierce competition can bring out the best and worst out of people, as the desire to win can unleash something within a person they normally keep buttoned up. We typically accept this in athletes as they compete in their sporting competitions that rake in massive revenue for all involved. Best in Show humorously displays how this would look in the world of dog shows. For all of its ridiculousness, it delivers nonstop moments of hilarity with a stellar ensemble.
At the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, competitors bring their well-trained dogs with the goal of achieving the top prize of Best in Show. Each of them comes with their particular struggles and nerves in preparing their dogs as the day arrives and the pressure continues to rise to achieve the accolade they have worked and prepared so hard for.
Best in Show is my first experience with a Christopher Guest and what a way to get into the filmography of a director. A nonstop chucklefest that I experienced while on a plane and had to contain myself as to not be a nuisance to the other passengers on the aircraft. In totality, this film has some fairly low stakes, as whoever’s dog wins this competition will not cause many ripples, but as we watch how seriously the characters in this film take this competition, you would think their lives depended on it. That makes for some good entertainment, and it’s exactly what we receive through these characters.
Each grouping can get their dissertation in what they present, but the ones that receive the most airtime and get the most laughs are Gerry (Eugene Levy) and Cookie Fleck (Catherine O’Hara). Two individuals with their quirks and their pairing make for some incredible comedy. From their interview scenes to how the competition transpires and who actually performs with the dog, everything between them is a masterwork. It doesn’t hurt when we have Levy and O’Hara knocking it out of the park in their portrayals. These two famously work so well together, but the way they play these two characters consistently heightens the absurdity of this competition while also making these two endearing. From Gerry’s two left feet to Cookie’s running gag of her sexual past, these two prove to be quite the treat.
When getting to the actual show, we see everything that goes into preparing these dogs for the competition, but the comedy lies in the over-the-top behavior of these owners and how much they just lose their minds in the process. We see this particularly with Meg (Parker Posey) and Hamilton Swan (Michael Hitchcock) and their whole fiasco with the dog toy. Truly wonderful stuff here as these two completely meltdown at the slightest inconvenience in their preparation of their dog. As obvious as it is to say, the seriousness they take with this competition serves as a reflection on themselves, but more importantly of the couple.
Most of the dog owners here are couples, and as the pressure mounts, their resoluteness as a couple truly comes through in preparation for the competition. The aforementioned Swans resort to yelling at each other in many moments throughout for our entertainment while the Flecks have this sweetness in how wholesome they are despite the confusion of how in the world they ended up with each other. Others flourish, while some begin to crumble, all while their lovely dogs just do their things of completing their tricks and looking very cute in the process.
While these couples make up the main ensemble, by the time we get to the show, Fred Willard as Buck Laughlin, the color commentator, completely takes over. Willard goes on an absolute heater as he provides his thoughts and goes about talking about this show as one would typically see for a professional football game but applied to these animals. Pretty much everything that comes out of this man’s mouth landed perfectly as his utter lack of knowledge about this particular competition shines through and so wonderfully illustrates both the ridiculous components and the artistry on display. After all, it’s hard work to train dogs to compete in this manner, as it takes a level of dedication that should not be taken for granted. It only makes the behaviors by the owners make more sense, as they have put in the hours to make it this far with their canine. It displays Best in Show as a movie, both irreverent in its depiction of this competition and also acknowledging the talent involved.
Just an outright hoot from beginning to end, Best in Show delivers one comedic haymaker after another in the way it takes us behind the scenes in a world not many pay much attention to. Christopher Guest opts to film this in a mockumentary style with talking heads as the couples speak directly to the camera to share how they feel about this entire process. This ensemble cast is to die for, and they more than deliver in their roles. I did not even get to mention the work by Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, and John Michael Higgins, who are all phenomenal as well. With this being my first Christopher Guest film, it excites me to see what else he has in store because if this film is any indicator of the degree of comedic gold he can deliver through his ensemble casts, I’m in for a real treat.
