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Best
In Show could easily have disappeared without trace if
it wasn't for the fact that it's written and directed by the
man behind This Is Spinal Tap - the ultimate rock movie.
Christopher
Guest also stars as Harlan Pepper, a man who, when not talking
about fly fishing, engages in conversation with his pet bloodhound.
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| Was
that you or was it the dogs? |
Like Spinal
Tap, Guest uses characters who are slightly larger than
life.
So we
follow the journeys of five dogs and their owners to the finals
of the Mayflower Dog Show. There's the gay couple, the neurotic
yuppies, the former nympho and the supremely confident dog
trainer.
Like
a documentary, scenes involve the actors responding to
unheard questions or the use of fly-on-the-wall technique.
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| What
do you mean - which one's the poodle? |
The dialogue
is loose and with good reason. The majority of the movie is
improvised. This is an over the top, warts 'n' all look at
the dog world.
It would
have been easy for the filmmakers to dismiss these dog lovers
as one big joke. But it doesn't. The film is hilarious but
not at the expense of those who love to show dogs. Indeed,
despite their exaggerated character traits, you can't help
but feel a close affection for the contestants portrayed in
the film.
Look out
for show commentators Buck Laughlin (Fred Willard) and Trevor
Beckwith (Jim Piddock) who excel in their roles of describing
the judging to a television audience.
Sometimes
the jokes are just too unsubtle. When Gerry Fleck is described
as having two left feet the camera actually pans down to reveal,
you guessed it, two left feet.
But stick
with it and after twenty minutes you'll be totally absorbed
and start looking at Crufts in a whole new light.
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