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Best in Show
Actors: Carrie Aizley, Lewis Arquette, Bob Balaban, Jehshua Barnes, and Jay Brazeau
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $19.98
Release Date: 2001-05-15
Theatrical Release Date: 2000
Studio: Warner Home Video
Run Time: 90 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Discs: 1


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Christopher Guest, the man behind Waiting for Guffman, turns his comic eye on another little world that takes itself a bit too seriously: the world of competitive dog shows. Best in Show follows a clutch of dog owners as they prepare and preen their dogs to win a national competition. They include the yuppie pair (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) who fear they've traumatized their Weimaraner by having sex in front of him; a suburban husband and wife (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) with a terrier and a long history of previous lovers on the wife's part; the Southern owner of a bloodhound (Guest himself) with aspirations as a ventriloquist; and many more. Following the same "mockumentary" format of Spinal Tap and Guffman, Best in Show takes in some of the dog show officials, the manager of a nearby hotel that allows dogs to stay there, and the commentators of the competition (a particularly knockout comic turn by Fred Willard as an oafish announcer). The movie manages to paint an affectionate portrait of its quirky characters without ever losing sight of the ridiculousness of their obsessive world. Almost all of the scenes were created through improvisation. While lacking the overall focus of a written script, Best in Show captures hilarious and absurd aspects of human behavior that could never be written down. The movie's success is a testament to both the talent of the actors and Guest's discerning eye. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

1) Ensemble, Improv, Outrageous   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Tell the truth! there aren't very many movies that are really worth owning. Sure, you've gotAkira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (Shichinin No Samurai) ~ Original Theatrical Version [Import, All-region] (Dvd), but how many times are you going to watch it? Well, this perfectly silly movie is one that you may watch so often that you start to memorize the dialog. What makes it so addictive is the utter seriousness of the characters about their very small world. Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy have created a compelling blank screen-the world of competitive dog shows-on which their regular cast of characters can project themselves and (gasp!) illuminate us as well.You'll flip for Parker Posey's description of a courtship whose basis is the lovers having two different coffee shops together. You will probably recognize the gay couple who whose roles lead to an inevitable tension and the 40 year old virgin married to the well-travelled woman who keeps stumbling on her old lovers.Tom Wolfe The Pumphouse Gang talked about folks creating small worlds in which to feel big. Best in Show is one of those worlds, it's earnestly felt and hilarious.Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG: A Novel and New Short Course in Wine,The

2) The 'Best' of Guest.   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Christopher Guest is best known for having written, directed and starred in several heavily improvised "mockumentary" films including This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show (of which Waiting for Guffman is my personal favorite). Each of these films shares a similar plot development leading up to some kind of a much-anticipated performance. Guest and Eugene Levy frequently collaborate as writers, and Guest leads the same repertory troupe of actors from one film to the next including Guest, Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, and Fred Willard. Best in Show is a parody of competitive dog shows like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The film chronicles an equally prestigious dog show, the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show in Philadelphia. The mockumentary follows a handful of quirky, obsessive entrants hoping to capture the much-coveted title of "Best in Show" with the help their dogs. Guest plays a Southerner who owns and trains a Bloodhound named "Hubert." Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara play Gerry and Cookie Fleck, the owners of "Winky," a Norwich Terrier. Gerry has two left feet, and Cookie has former lovers everywhere. They live on their maxed-out credit cards. Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock play Meg and Hamilton Swan, the yuppie owners of a Weimaraner, "Beatrice." The Swans are addicted to Starbucks and mail order catalogs. Jane Lynch and Jennifer Coolidge play Christy Cummings and Sherri Ann Ward Cabot, the handler and owner of a Standard Poodle, "Rhapsody in White," the clear favorite in the Show. John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean play a flamboyant gay couple, Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof, who own a Shih Tzu. Best in Show is a true laugh-fest, and don't miss the closing credits. G. Merritt

3) Second best of the Chris Guest Films   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Simply well done with the great ensemble cast that made Waiting for Gufman and would later make A Might Wind. Funny, funny film. Plus great dogs.

4) Well Done!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This is a great movie for anyone who has ever shown dogs. While it is something of a satire, it really shows some of the crazy personalities that you see when you spend many weekends on the road traveling to shows. I have shown dogs for over 30 years and still am amazed at this quirky world. This is a movie to watch again and again.

5) Best In Show   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
A Christopher Guest masterpiece. Whether or not you're a dog lover, you'll enjoy the hilarious characters and humorous situations that are depicted throughout this video. Certain to become a "cult classic" that you'll watch repeatedly.