The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Review Request: Best in Show (2000)

Who is the master of the parody documentary or the mockumentary? Rob Reiner created one of the funniest films of all time with This is Spinal Tap which followed the fictitious heavy metal band on the comeback tour. This film worked thanks to the commitment of its director and the outstanding talents of its comedic leads. But one such lead, Christopher Guest, obviously connected with this approach to storytelling and made a whole directing career out of making such films. His 2000 effort Best in Show just might be one of the best examples of this genre to date. This dry and awkward comedy takes audiences on a journey with various people as they are on the road to compete in the Mayflower Dog Show (the most prestigious national competition). Once those documentary cameras turn on and the interviews begin…the shenanigans start to flow. 

What makes this fake documentary so effective for Guest? The subject he chose for this film is ripe for comedic exploration and opens the door to being authentic and convincing. We all know dog owners (or pet owners in general) who are batshit crazy. People get weird when it comes to their animals, and it can only get even more extreme when they are placing those animals into competition with each other. Documentaries speak to be people on a more personal level when the subjects feel relatable and real to us. Guest and company can craft a fleet of characters who feel so lived in and authentic. The amount of detail from a character perspective that are injected into these subjects are unparalleled. You have met them all before. You might know some of them. You might even be related to some. That is the magic of the film. 

How does Guest (from the filmmaking perspective) create an authentic and engaging experience? There is not a single second that you doubt that this is a real documentary. The way the cameras are used and how they capture the “action” is authentic. If you put this film on in front of a random person who does not know who the actors are, they might legitimately believe that this is a real film about a real dog show competition. That is the highest praise for a mockumentary. Guest leans into the basic elements of documentaries with the sit-down interview portions, the voyeuristic following of subjects doing their business, and the dog show at the end feels like a real production with odd, hilarious, and believable commentary. Guest never misses keeping the con going and keeping the audience tricked into his parody. 

Why are these characters so good? Each actor brings so many little details in their characterizations. There are multiple groups of people we follow but they meet a few important criteria. First and most importantly, they are all funny in their uniquely specific way. You cannot have a whole cast of characters doing the same thing but each of them has their own unique spin on humor. There are varying degrees of dryness and absurdity. Next, they all take their dogs way too seriously. One of the funniest aspects of the film is that most people will find this obsession over a dog show weird and ridiculous in the first place. Then there are the stories. Each character has their own motivation and journey to get to this competition. If we don’t buy in to each, then audiences will get disconnected when certain stories are being highlighted on screen. Guest can accomplish an impressive balancing act of absurdity and storytelling. 

But who are the ones who really make these characters come to life? This stellar cast. Bob Balaban, who does not have the largest role in the film, still captures the absurdity and overly serious approach with this competition as he is the one who runs the whole thing. But each of the competitors sell it the most. Eugene Levy is in his element as the ultimate underdog being a cuckolded husband who is dorky, awkward, and fumbling while Catherine O’Hara kills it as his flirtatious wife with a LONG history of romantic and sexual exploits which just popping up in the most ridiculous ways. Guest himself portrays a rural man and his bloodhound. The draw, mundane chatter, and oddities create one of the funniest and most authentic characters in the whole film. Guest just understands this assignment so deeply we the audience benefits so well. Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins are a gay couple who each embody their characterizations so well with Higgins just breathing so much energy and big personality with McKean being more subtle yet just as effective. Jane Lynch is so endearing and enthusiastic with Jennifer Coolidge being that reserved yet hilarious Jennifer Coolidge (plus their sexual tension is off the charts and it builds to such a great payoff). Then you have the wildest of all…Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock. Their poor dog is so anxious with Posey and Hitchcock, making the audience insanely anxious because they are SO obnoxious and overbearing. But the crazy MVP for the film is Fred Willard. His wild commentary as a sport commentator taking the reins for this dog show is one of the funniest things you will ever hear. The things that come out of his mouth are so dumb and SO wild that you do not believe the places that Willard takes it (but big thanks go to Jim Piddock who must be the straight man to all his nonsense). 

Is Best in Show really one of the best comedies out there? 100%. Guest is the master of wrangling a crew of great comedians who each bring a wholly unique and fully realized character to life. The dry atmosphere creates a space for them to be so serious in their lunacy and nonsense. These are actors completely playing this all straight, but the set makes them so fun. Guest is the one who knows that space perfectly. The commitment to this documentarian style of filmmaking and storytelling is the perfect avenue to make these characters feel so authentic and that authenticity brings this whole set-up to life. Guest has other great offerings like Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind, but Best in Show just might be…well, the best.