BEST IN SHOW * * *
Director: Christopher Guest Writers: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy Cast: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard Rated PG-13, 89 minutes
Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest) is preparing his bloodhound to sniff out the faults in his fellow canine competitors. Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) are getting their terrier ready for battle. Sheri Ann Ward Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge) and her hired trainer hope their poodle will win a third consecutive blue ribbon. Scott Donlan (John Michael Higgins) and Stefan Vanderhoof (Michael McKean) are a gay couple who pamper their animal, and hope for victory. Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) have high hopes for success with their dog. What's gotten all of these people and others all worked up? The Mayflower Dog Show of course! It's the world's most fabulous event for pooches and their owners alike. The tough rivalry and judges send some of the humans into states of insanity, while others feel less pressure. Calling this group of people quirky is an understatement. Using nearly the exact same cast from Guest's previous picture, "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" tries for a similar triumph, but this judge says the picture is stale.
After "Guffman," plus previously co-writing and co-starring in "This Is Spinal Tap," there are few roads Guest can take for further creative achievement, especially in the mockumentary genre. Rather than experiment with something new, the director and co-writer decided to repeat himself. That was a mistake because this production almost negatively affects his past work. If someone sees this, and then goes to rent "Guff," the disappointment continues. Since it feels like the people of Blaine, Missouri agreed to appear in another film, it's rather a situation of which movie you see first. Either of them works wonderfully for the first spot, but watch the other sour in second.
This isn't to say there's a lack of material, or that nothing is funny. Jennifer Coolidge is marvelous as an Anna Nicole Smith-like woman with a hidden sexual preference and an eccentric taste in clothing. She must have spent millions on a long necklace that outlines her large breasts in gleaming diamond fashion. While no Corky St. Clair, Guest's performance as Harlan Pepper is quite good. The problem is that both of these persons get little screen time. The most time goes to the surprisingly lackluster Eugene Levy. The running gag is that his wife has slept with every man they encounter on their drive to the show. It works, yet he's overused. I finally understand why people find Parker Posey annoying. Her way over-the-top bit here as a control freak catalog and Starbucks lover was just plain irritating. At least Fred Willard never lets up the enthusiasm as a dog show commentator who asks irksome questions to his posh British colleague. Willard's comments and ideas to improve the show are the high point here. The gay couple has little flair, and they misfire horribly. There needs to be one sane person here to balance it out.
The animal and its owner(s?) that do win the title prize weren't my first or second choice, yet there's little mystery or tension as to who the winner(s?) is(are?) early on.
While far superior, "Best in Show" shares a remarkably similar problem with "Scary Movie." The actors act like they know they're in a satire. That never works! You can see the snickering in their faces. Only when a person doesn't believe they're being watched can they fully be themselves, and, therefore, provide prime comedy. "Scary" was awfully cruel with the beings onscreen, something "Show," thankfully, does not do.
At 89 minutes, this movie is entirely too long. The film tends to repeat itself, and the pet pampering gets annoying. There's no apparent reason behind all of this love and affection, besides some faux human nature. The dogs get treated like little children. And how do the dogs turn out? They emerge unscathed from this semi-humorous film that touches, but never delves into the many chances for humor that it covers. The real competitions are much more fun to watch. This doesn't reach the potential possible of canine mockery. Guest should go back to the drawing boards, or maybe back to Blaine.
A film review by Frankie Paiva. Copyright 2000 Frankie Paiva.
See more of my reviews at http://homestead.com/cinemaparadise/mainpage.html
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