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| Best in Show |
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List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $9.75
You Save: $10.23 (51%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $7.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 267 reviews)
Sales Rank: 763
Category: DVD
Actors: Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'hara
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Label: Warner Home Video
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 90 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 0.5
ISBN: 078063344X
UPC: 085391895121
EAN: 0085391895121
ASIN: B00005ALS0
Release Date: May 15, 2001
Theatrical Release Date: November 30, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Editorial Reviews:
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
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Customer Reviews: Read 262 more reviews...
 Better not shown June 21, 2006
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I imagine this movie might be funny if you're really into dog shows. I'm not, so I couldn't tell you. Mediocre at best. "This is Spinal Tap" was better.
Guest Does It Again! April 17, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Best in Show" is another of the very funny improvisational dialog movies that Christopher Guest has directed. The situations are scripted by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, but after that they simply let the actors go where they will with the characters and keep the cameras running. In this movie, he takes aim at dog shows, and the results speak for themselves.
The plot of this film is very simple, as the audience is following 5 dogs and their owners and trainers as the go to compete in the Mayflower Dog Show. Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins are hilarious as Stefan Vanderhoof and Scott Donlan, the gay owners of Miss Agnes (a Shih Tzu), and Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock are equally funny as the preppy "win at all cost" owners (Meg and Hamilton Swan) of Beatrice (a Weimaraner). Christopher Guest plays Harlan Pepper, the outdoorsman owner of Hubert (a Bloodhound), Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy are the mismatched couple (Cookie and Gerry Fleck) who own Winky (a Norwich Terrier) where Gerry is a geek, and Cookie seems to have ex-lovers all over the country. Last, but not least, we have Jennifer Coolidge who plays Sheri Ann Ward Cabot the rich owner of the two-time reigning champion Rhapsody in White (a Poodle), and Jane Lynch who plays Christy Cummings the trainer.
The other key members of the cast are Fred Willard, who plays Buck Laughlin the know-nothing TV announcer, and Jim Piddock who is Trevor Beckwith, the knowledgeable color man and who plays the straight man for Willard's antics. There are also some wonderful smaller roles, such as Larry Miler as one of Cookie's ex-lovers and Ed Begley Jr. as the hotel manager. Those are just some of the names, but I can't do justice to their wonderful work in such a short review. The actors are the key to improvisation, and the audience is in good hands with this movie. The situations are funny, but the performances are even funnier.
"Best in Show" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 8th, 2000. It was not nominated for any Academy Awards, but it did win three American Comedy Awards including: Funniest Motion Picture, Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Fred Willard), Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Catherine O'Hara), and Christopher Guest was also nominated for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. The film was also nominated for and won awards from many different groups such as the American Cinema Editors, Boston Society of Film Critics, British Comedy Awards, Canadian Comedy Awards, the Golden Globes and many more.
This DVD includes an audio commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy which is somewhat low-key, but there are some very funny moments if you pay close attention. Also available are quite a few deleted scenes. You will also find the features which are almost standard at this point, such as a trailer and cast/filmmaker profiles. In my opinion, this is the best of the improvisational films after "This is Spinal Tap".
 I could watch BEST IN SHOW 24 hours a day for the rest of my life April 2, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Set in the world of championship dog shows and cast with kooky characters who strive to have their pooch named top dog, BEST IN SHOW is a hilariously funny film that will easily have you laughing out loud.
Though there is a scripted premise, most of the dialog in BEST IN SHOW is ad-libbed by comedic greats that include Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy and Ed Begley, Jr. to name just a few.
The gist of BEST IN SHOW is simple: five dogs whose owners have virtually nothing in common with each other, travel to Philadelphia to enter the Mayflower, a prestigious championship dog show, loosely based on the Westminster event.
Beatrice, the emotionless Weimaraner is shown by an uptight yuppie couple (Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey) who are nervous wrecks, read the J. Crew catalog like it is a work of great literature and constantly bicker with each other about their dog's mental health and the subtle differences the colors putty and ecru.
Rhapsody in White, the highly coiffed Standard Poodle is owned by a 90 year old kajillionaire's trophy wife (Jennifer Coolidge) who is having an affair with Christy Cummings, the dog's severe lesbian trainer (Jane Lynch).
Winky, a spunky Norwich Terrier is adored by a former party girl (Catherine O'Hara) and her nerdy, two left footed husband (Eugene Levy) who at every turn is forced to confront his wife's promiscuous past and her sloppy bookkeeping skills.
Miss Agnes, the fluffy white Shih Tzu is the prized pooch of two gay men, played brilliantly by Michael McKean and his campy live-in boyfriend (John Michael Higgins).
Hubert, the sad-eyed Bloodhound is shown by a single country boy, played by Christopher Guest, who created the series of mock documentary films that BEST IN SHOW is one part of.
There are far too many hilarious scenes in BEST IN SHOW to recount. Particularly great ones include the scene when Winky's owner and her husband check into their hotel and are offered a room in the storage closet by a stiff inn keeper who you may or may not recognize as Ed Begley, Jr.
Another great scene is when a very inappropriate color commentator (Fred Willard) reels off one bizarre observation after another about the dog's trainers, the judges and the clothing of its owners.
But perhaps my favorite scene is when Winky's owners visit an old friend who works as a hostage negotiator and announces almost demonically that when people are on top of a building and threaten to leap to their deaths, "they all jump."
BEST IN SHOW is a highly recommended DVD from the same mock documentary genre of This is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman. With star performances by some of the most talented comedians of our time, this movie will have you laughing out loud from start to finish.
Incredibly funny March 20, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Certainly one of the funniest films ever. Great acting and directing. Especially suitable for dog owners, but not limited to them.
dog show spoof March 16, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
very, very funny video about the people who chose to show American Kennel Club dogs in dog shows. it nails many of the different types down to a tee and takes it over the top a bit.
overall, it was really a great, entertaining video.
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Copyright Runningonkarma.com 2006
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