Thursday, December 19, 2013

Best in Show



"Thanks a lot, you stupid hotel manager!" (4.5 stars)
Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" is a wildly hilarious satire that pokes fun at people who are overly obsessed with their pets. So obsessed that they would take their pets and put them in a type of "beauty pageant" in order to get awards and recognition. It's funny and unrelenting because you see it as an everyday occurrence in society. People like this really do exist, and that is why it's so humorous. The characters are all out of their minds and are a joy to watch in this very entertaining and unpredictable film.

I had no idea what I was going to experience when I popped this into the DVD player. At first, it didn't seem like anything that would interest me. However, almost every single person I know had seen it and encouraged me to watch it. I'm glad I did give it a chance, because I ended up really liking it. The satire is outrageous and subtle at the same time (something that's VERY difficult to accomplish unless the project is in the right...

I Give It 5 Dog Biscuits!!
I don't even remember if this movie made it to the theaters in my town. This is the kind of small gem that slips past critics and moviegoers and either finds an audience in the video market, or passes away into obscurity. Those viewers who enjoyed the improvisational comedy of Christopher Guest's previous efforts (This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman) will love Best In Show. It features a wonderful cast that includes Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins, the flambouyantly gay owners of a prize winning shih tzu, a yuppie couple (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) whose Weimaraner is as neurotic as they are, Christopher Guest as the proud owner of a Bloodhound named Hubert who also fancies himself a ventriloquist, and Catherine O'Hara as a former nympho who keeps running into old boyfriends (she's had hundreds of them), much to the chagrin of geeky husband Eugene Levy. They are all competing for Best In Show at the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club dog show. Their ridiculous and...

"...In some countries, these dogs are eaten."
This was a funny, funny movie, to say the least. I've never seen "Waiting for Guffman", but "Spinal Tap" still makes me laugh to this day. My main attraction to this movie was Fred Willard(known lately for his hilarious "conversations" with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show). This man does wonders when it comes to improv, and this movie just displays that so well.

The film polks fun at Dog Shows(one event in which it's participants take itself WAAAAAAAAAY too serious). This is best displayed when Fred Willard, playing a commentator for the show, asks his partner if he could guess how much Fred benched in his prime. Also to mention his hilarious anecdote for dressing up a bloodhound in a Sherlock Holmes uniform, in order to "get the crowd pumped".

I liked this movie, and anyone a fan of mellow humor, rather than gross-out humor(Farrely Bros, etc.) should check this out. It's more of a comedy for people in their 30's and up, but I'm 15,...

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