Best in Show (2000)

Directed by Christopher Guest. Starring Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard, Jim Piddock, Ed Begley Jr., Larry Miller, Linda Kash, Bob Balaban. [PG-13]

Often uproarious mockumentary following several dog owners and trainers whose animals are competing in a prestigious dog show. Stereotypes aplenty—a flamboyantly gay couple with a Shih Tzu, neurotic yuppie-types whose dog goes to a psychotherapist, a good ole boy bait shop owner and his Bloodhound, etc.—but seasoned with outlandish specifics (e.g., said good ole boy also dabbles in ventriloquism) and offbeat surprises. Director Guest and star Levy are credited for the screenplay construction, but it’s little more than an outline upon which to hang improvisational jokes and sly sight gags aplenty; there’s even a nod to This Is Spinal Tap, Guest’s first acting/writing contribution to the “docu-parodic” art form. No slouches in the talented cast, although Willard all but walks away with the movie as a clueless color commentator (“To think that in some countries, these dogs are eaten”).

78/100