Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-16 18:44:11

This movie left me with a question....

... how is it possible that beings from the same planet and species as me found this even remotely funny? Dogs are funny and I love them. The people who own them and show them in this movie are, frankly, pathetic. Are their annoying, shallow lives entertaining to viewers of this movie? I dn't get it, and I don't want to.

2013-05-16 07:35:49

I Give This Four Barks Out of Five

Best in Show is a clever 'mocumentary', a delightful satire of the dog show world. Director Christopher Guest and co-writer Eugene Levy also star in the movie, along with a slew of other comic actors. As writers, Guest and Levy are throwbacks to kinder, gentler times. Their brand of satire is funny and sometimes biting, but it is never brutal. They allow the performers to improvise a lot. This doesn't always work out, but when it does, the results are hysterical. The movie succeeds because the dogs' owners, not the dogs themselves, are the real characters. It shows that in the bond between man and dog, man may be the strangest and funniest half.At the start, we meet several couples and individuals who will be showing their dogs in the Mayflower competition in Philadelphia. Some are shown in real scenes, other in fake interviews. Christopher Guest is Harlan Pepper, a down home North Carolina boy who runs a fishing supply store. He also raises champion blood hounds and dreams of being a ventriloquist. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara play the Flecks. He literally has two left feet, and she is an aging hot babe, who is constantly running into men from her past, much to Mr. Fleck's annoyance. Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock are the Swans, a couple of yuppie lawyers who have channeled way too much emotion into their dog. Sherri Ann [Jennifer Coolidge] is a very buxom and very wealthy matron who, along with her trainer, Christie [Jane Lynch], has entered her pom-pommed poodle. Finally, we met Scott and Stephan [John Michael Higgins and Michael McKeen], a gay couple who has entered one of their beloved toy dogs. In their spare time, Scott and Stephan produce calendars, using photos of their dogs dressed up like characters in famous movies.The movie follows the characters before, during and after the competition. The show itself is quite authentic looking. It even spoofs sports announcing. One of the announcers is a proper Englishman, full of knowledge about dog shows. The other is an American who is completely clueless. Their scenes are among the film's funniest.The humor is Best in Show is too dry for some viewers. It's often subtle comedy. I enjoyed it, but I like my humor from broad to dry and everything in-between. I also think I share Guest and Levy's point of view. They seem to be dog lovers who think that what goes on in the world of championship dog lovers is somewhat over the top. What the characters in the movie express towards dogs isn't exactly love. It's more obsession and a need to be noticed. In fact, these people require more attention than their mutts do.

2013-05-14 07:30:40

If you have the same sense of humor I do...

This review is from: Best in Show (DVD) This is the funniest movie I have ever seen. In fact, I cannot even THINK about BEST IN SHOW or watch a real dog show without laughing out loud. I'm buying another DVD because I can't remember who I loaned it to last. The characters, the acting, the twists, the turns leave me exhausted from enjoyment. They say that laughter is healing. If that's true, BEST IN SHOW is better than a trip to the doctor!

2013-05-13 16:12:24

Truly the Grand Champion of Comedy

This has got to be the best movie I am have seen all year. Excellentacting,plot, character development and theme, it is proof that a great movie canbemade on a minimal budget. In an age of American movie studios all trying tooutdo each other with these 9 figure mega budget remakes of movies likePlanet of the Apes, Godzilla, Jurassic Park 3 etc this is trulyrefreshing.The style is fly on the wall and works on the lead up to an interstate dogshow. All the characters are as diverse as the doggies and most areinstantly lovable including Miss Yellow Pages, the gay couple, thefastidious perfectionists and the yokel from Carolina being stand out. Withthe exception of the bimbo and the fastidious ones, they are allbelieveablehuman beings. Aside from the humble plot we have the irreverent announcerand other little side jokes such as the man with two left feet. Even thegays who are portrayed as the usual flamboyant and fickle poofters prove tobe winners at the end and they love each other. A refreshing change fromGodzilla.

2013-05-02 07:50:57

We both love soup...

This movie is by far one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Easily one of my top 3 movies of all time! The characters make the movie. There's no way to adequately describe just how funny this movie is.

zanyrumon 2013-05-01 20:59:17

just like the title -

If this doesn't make you laugh out loud, you are in deep kimshee. Mr.Guestand the gang play people we've all met and give us a chance to laugh atthemand, in that, at ourselves. Many, many lines to hold on to -- StilllikeGuffman better - and Spinal Tap rules, but this is a keeper

littlesb 2013-04-28 02:16:46

Guest is the Best!

Christopher Guest proves himself again in this very funny movie about thepremier dog show in the U.S. and the people who are excited by it. Theensemble of comedians, many of whom Guest worked with before in "SpinalTap" and "Waiting for Guffman"play off each other brilliantly and keep the laughs coming.This is satire of our times at its finest. Besides the serious bellylaughsprovided by Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard and Eugene Levy, there are themore subtle characters like Ed Begley, as the tolerant hotel manager andBobBalaban and Don Lake as the self-serious heads of the dogshow, who providesurrealistic views of the actual people who make an event like thishappen.And then there are the dogs, each one a real champion in his own way. Ittruly is hard to pick just one to route for. I especially liked Hubert,thebloodhound, the shitzu and, of course, little Winky, the terrier. Onecharming part of this film is that the love of the owners for their dogsreally came through. Especially poignant was Guest's character, comingfroma rural Southern area to the show in Philadelphia, because of pride andbelief in his Hubert. AND, who knew that Guest could do such a brilliantbackwoods accent?!

Gene Ehrich 2013-04-27 16:23:01

Dumb movie with some very funny lines

We were all prepared to see a great movie tonight at the clubhouse butwerevery disappointed. The movie had some very funny lines and a few veryfunnypeople but it really was a dumb movie and a complete waste of time. Notrecommended unless you are a big fan of some of the characters.

2013-04-08 20:27:57

Awful

Save your money. Unless you're a dog freak there's nothing here but the opportunity to see some usually-funny actors embarrass themselves by attempting improvised humour. Funny actors aren't necessarily funny people as this film repeatedly proves.

RoninBoxers 2013-04-08 08:14:01

Very funny to the average person, completely hilarious if you show dogs!

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, its unlike any other I have seen. Ihave shown dogs for several years and know people EXACTLY like everycharacter in this movie!! The similarity is uncanny and makes it evenmore funny knowing what the show world is really like.The actors do a great job showing the dogs and are very convincing(this impressed me, it takes a lot of work to learn) the dogs are alsotrue show quality which is nice. I believe the canine stars are allproved in the real-world show ring and most of them are Champions. Insome scenes canine "extras" are shown by their real lifeowners/handlers.An oddly accurate glimpse of the dog showing world. Anyone could enjoythis movie, even if they have no have no interest in dogs!

2013-04-07 13:52:13

Funny, Feisty and Frantic

Like his own "Waiting for Guffman" before, and the grandaddy of all mockumentaries, "This is Spinal Tap", "Best in Show" takes us "behind the scenes" and into the lives of some truly unique, oddball characters. In this case, the event is a regional dog show, and the cast of characters are eerily like alot of people we know - our friends and neighbors who actually LOOK like their dogs and drive stationwagons. You know the kind.We get wrapped up in homey melodramas that evoke laughter, but also a perverse melancholy that allows us to think about "what's really important." More so now - post September 11th - than ever, these themes sound hollow and dull, and the movie can seem frivilous at times. But - give it a chance, and you'll find yourself attracted to this actor or that one - this is ensemble acting at its best (though not better than Guffman.) Guest has an uncanny ability of bringing out resonant human qualities from his actors and characters. Instead of feeling sorry for them, we root for our favorites, warts and all. In the process, we laugh away what's trivial and recognize the depth that can exist in every life. No matter how simple or trivial - life is grand! The actors are uniformly terrific, under Guest's direction. "Guffman" outshines "Best In Show" due to a spontaneous quality that's missing here (we're all pretty much familiar with dog shows, but Guffman goes where few of us have gone before - Community Theater! Now THAT's priceless...) Still, "Show" is a funny delight, with effervescent moments.

2013-04-06 18:33:43

Best in Movies

This has to be one of the funniest films I have seen. I also like being able to enjoy the commentary of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy.

2013-04-06 08:40:52

A Very Funny Movie!!!

Have loved all of Christopher Guests movies starting with Spinal Tap. The scenes with the ventriloquist puppet "Lil' Buddy" are very funny as well and too brief (there is another bonus deleted scene that can be found on the DVD). I found the website for the company that made this puppet and was fascinated ...

Jennifer Tanner 2013-04-05 17:44:27

One of the funniest movies

I didn't really hear much about this show and it being in theaters, and I'mreally surprised by that. It's become one of my fave movies...I think thatChristopher Guest is realllly talented..who directed this movie and playedharlan pepper. i really like dogs so i enjoyed this movie, and it was reallyfunny as well. :):)

2013-04-04 00:45:06

Well Developed characters and fabulously funny!

This is one of the most entertaining shows I have seen in a long time. The writing is great and characters are so well developed! My friends and I have all watched it several times and never tire of it. Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest are geniuses!!

FeldBum 2013-04-03 08:02:23

Guest's Best

"Best in Show" is certainly Christopher Guest's funniest and deepest movieyet. The characters are excellently portrayed and the connection of pettoowner adds a new level of comedy to the movie. I've been a fan of Guestsince Spinal Tap but in this movie he has truly achieved what he set outtodo in the "mock-umentary," a genre he invented and has nowperfected.

2013-03-31 09:44:41

Bring a squeak toy and some popcorn!

Being a huge fan of Waiting for Guffman, I was really looking forward to Best In Show. I was not disappointed! If anything, I think I love this film even more. From the opening scene to the last deleted scene on this DVD, Best in Show is a complete cavalcade of the bizarrely hilarious. This strange collection of characters, and their slightly more normal dogs, are so well realized that it is difficult to remember this is improv! What an incredibly skilled group of people. You have to see this if you loved Guffman, Spinal Tap, or if you're a dog lover. :)

JHL44502 2013-03-30 23:08:30

Psychotic 'comedy' that begs the question "Do you really have to be smarter than the dog to train it?"

A rather two-dimensional representation of the neuroses of show dogs andtheir owners. If seeing other people act like blithering idiots makes youfeel superior, prepare to feel exceedingly good about yourself. Thesecharacters have all the depth of a puddle, and the intellect of arock.

2013-03-29 11:09:50

This movie is a real dog.

This was one of the few movies that I watched for less than 20 minutes. I don't understand why it was recommended to me.

Cindy 2013-03-29 05:16:51

comedy as only Christopher Guest can do it

Best in Show is not as subtle as Waiting for Guffman or SpinalTap, but it is absolutely hilarious and deserving of beingplaced amongst those other two movies in the comedy pantheon. The humor is built-in because of the concept of satirizing dogshows, and makes you wonder why no one's ever thought of doingit before. Best in Show brings back just about everyone who wasin Waiting for Guffman, and it's fun to spot each actor as theymake their appearance to see how they're paired up this timearound. My personal favorite characters are Parker Posey as aperfect yuppie who spends every moment seething through herbraces, and Guest, who again renders himself unrecognizable as asweet, simple man with a rambling southern drawl. Also notableis Jane Lynch as a supercompetitive lesbian dog handler. Afunny tidbit: you might remember Lynch in a similar role in aFrosted Flakes commercial that was also done up in pseudodocumentary style. My only complaint about Best in Show wasthat it seemed to end abruptly, but maybe that was just becauseI didn't want it to end.