I am a huge dog lover! I have always had a dog or two or three by my side throughout my entire life. I enjoy seeing reels of dogs doing tricks or just being themselves. It doesn’t matter their age, type, or length of fur. I adore them all whether they are puppies, seniors, tiny or gigantic. I worked at a dog shelter one summer decades ago and learned it was a dangerous job for me. I brought home a Saint Bernard puppy one day after work. I had recently moved back to my parent’s home for a few months. They were surprised, to say the least. I will never forget the look on their faces when I walked in the door with my new furry friend.
Dogs make me smile and feel good. They touch my soul. I never feel alone if there is a dog in the house. Every year I always watch the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Thanksgiving. I am mesmerized by all the different breeds, shapes, and sizes. In 2000 an amazing film premiered creating a hysterical parody about dogs, their owners, and a made-up dog competition. The Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show brought together the best comedians in show business. It was so unusual a concept that everyone wanted to see who would take home the BEST IN SHOW award. The film was simply pure genius and was a master class lesson for outstanding improvisation.
When Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy handed their cast the finished script for BEST IN SHOW, there were only sixteen pages in outline format. They knew with the ensemble they had gathered, it would not be a problem. All they had to do was point the camera and let the actors do their thing. It worked beautifully and only took six weeks. Christopher Guest, the director, got over sixty hours of “good stuff” that he had to edit into a 90-minute film. Can you imagine the outtakes that got cut on the editing floor? What a blooper reel they would have had as well.
BEST IN SHOW is filled with bits, running gags, schticks, and outstanding physical comedy. Every actor in the film knew what they were doing and how to get the best belly laugh from their audience. It is impossible to keep a straight face when watching. I don’t know how Jim Piddock as Trevor Beckwith could not crack up sitting next to the incomparable Fred Willard as Buck Laughlin. Fred was non-stop uproarious one-liners. It was a “proctologist and testicle dream” come true.
I must list and give credit to the phenomenal group immortalized in this film. It includes Parker Posey, Catharine O’Hara, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Larry Miller, Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban, and Christopher Guest. The dogs were champions, and the judges were authentic. The stories of the owners’ and handlers’ journey to the top, elite dog show were the underlying draw. It was filmed as if it was a documentary with everyone continually being interviewed in the arena and behind the scenes. Crazy, out-of-control pep talks, a busy bee toy, ventriloquism, two left feet, and American Bitch Magazine made me laugh until the tears rolled down my cheeks. Genius improv work from everyone made BEST IN SHOW both formidable and memorable.
BEST IN SHOW is a comedic classic cult film. It is satirical, offbeat, and wacky, yet will leave audiences wanting more. It is a “grown-up” film for people who love to have a good time, able to let loose, laugh, and always treasure dogs. It is available on TCM.
