Best in Show DVD with Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara (PG-13) +Movie Reviews

"Thanks a lot, you stupid hotel manager!" (4.5 stars)

Michael Crane | Orland Park, IL USA | 10/11/2003

(4 out of 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 hands). The actors are hilarious and very animated, but at the same time you know that these types of people really do exist! Eugene Levy was my favorite person in the film. He's so subtle and clever when it comes to humor. Overall, everybody was fantastic in their roles.The DVD has some really cool extras. It has very good picture and sound quality. Extras included are deleted scenes, feature length audio commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, theatrical trailer and more. The deleted scenes are pretty interesting to watch. Tons of special features for those who love the extra "bells and whistles.""Best in Show" is great satirical comedy in top form. Not a wasted second is present in the movie. If you're looking for something a little less ordinary, this may be the choice for you. Christopher Guest has done an excellent job of orchestrating this very entertaining and clever film that gives us 90 minutes of fun and laughs."

I Give It 5 Dog Biscuits!!

Michael Crane | 07/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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 outrageous behavior is captured in a documentary style. Fred Willard chews the scenery hilariously as a commentator who seems to know nothing about dogs or anything else for that matter. Don't let this one pass you by, it's well worth the price. The DVD also comes with some very funny deleted scenes and a commentary by Guest and Levy."

"...In some countries, these dogs are eaten."

Greg White | The Forbidden Zone | 05/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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, and got a tremendous kick out of it. I won't touch down on the characters, because I'm sure you've read plenty on that already. But, if your in the mood for one hell of a comedy, or just a plain old Fred Willard fan like myself, this is definitely worth a view."

The Genius of Christopher Guest

A. R. Karpe | New York, NY | 05/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although this isn't as cultish as "This Is Spinal Tap" or as laugh-out-loud-funny as "Waiting for Guffman," "Best In Show" once again showcases Christopher Guest's brilliance as a writer/director of "mock-umentaries," as well as his impeccable taste in assembling the perfect cast. Guest takes the least-showy role of soft spoken Southerner, Harlan Pepper (a far cry from Guffman's flamboyant Corky St. Clair), and surrounds himself with the likes of Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy as a woman with a dubious sexual past and her hapless husband; Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock as a strident yuppie couple who tear into one another mercilessly over what's best for their beloved dog; Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins as a middle class gay couple who sing their dog lullabyes over the phone; and the hilarious Jennifer Coolidge (in a send-up of Anna Nicole Smith) as a vapid fortune hunter married to an ancient millionaire while maintaining a curiously close relationship with their dog trainer played by Jane Lynch. The movie has a gentle, lilting feel, humorous but not screamingly funny, and takes time to develop these characters fully while exploring the tense and cut-throat world of dog shows. Fred Willard nearly steals the show as a pompous, ignorant commentator. There are so many wonderful moments in this film, you have to check it out for yourself. Not for everyone, I'm sure. The story is fairly basic and, like Guest's other films, this is more a character study than anything else. If you're a fan of his earlier work, this is a must-see."

A work of genius

Jeremy J. Shapiro | New York, NY USA | 08/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To me Best in Show is one of the great films of the past decade or so. I have now seen it more than a half dozen times (and very few films hold up to that intense and detailed viewing) and each time that I see it I find more and more things in it to appreciate. Unlike other reviewers, I don't really think that the film is "about" dog shows. Rather, the dog show environment and culture serve merely as a way of revealing the foibles of different sorts of characters in contemporary culture, as well as the genius of talented writers and performers. It is one of those rare films in which almost every line, facial expression, gesture, and action is perfect and conveys a world of meaning, perspective, and irony. It is really a film in the tradition of great comedy (including Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Mozart, and Balzac) that exhibits compassion toward and understanding of human beings in their predicament as fools, naifs, and self-deceivers."

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	Best in Show Actors: Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch Director: Christopher Guest Genres: Indie & Art House, Comedy PG-13 2001 1hr 30min A BLUE RIBBON LOOK AT DOG SHOW PARTICIPANTS AND THE POOCHES WHO LOVE THEM.
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