Leave
it to Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap) and the majority of his Waiting For
Guffman crew to come sniffing around the bizarre world of dog show folk.
Delivered
in same mocumentary package as Guffman and Spianal Tap, Best in Show is a breezy,
delight that chronicles a group of eccentric dog owners who take their pooches
to a prestigious competition.
As
was the case with the hilarious and underrated Guffman, Best in Show is mostly
improvised, giving the film a kind of spontaneity lacking in recent comedies.
The cast is terrific, most notably Fred Willard as a dog show commentator, Catherine
O'Hara and Eugene Levy as a likable married couple, and Guest himself, completely
subtle in the role of a droll Texan with a bloodhound.
Although
Best in Show isn't as consistently hilarious as Waiting for Guffman, it's still
heads and tails above most of the comedies of the year. It also benefits from
it's documentary format and some truly unpredictable moments.
In
a film like Best in Show, timing is the key, and this film is filled with a kennel
full of comic vets. Though many of these characters are completely nuts, you still
to find yourself identifying with them. Maybe Hollywood should save it's money
on expensive actors and big production and just "let the dogs out."
