SEX DOGS AND ROCK N'ROLL (Best In Show (DVD))

Member Name: pablodiablo

Product:	Best In Show (DVD)
Date:	29/04/02 (555 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A nice film, funny, original

Disadvantages: erm.....

Does anyone watch crufts anymore?, is it even on tv still?. And that sheepdog thing, whatever happened to that?.

If these questions have ever kept you awake at night then WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. If they don't and you like a laugh then you might want to check out Best In Show, a 'mockumentary' from the creators of Spinal Tap. Now if you have seen Spinal Tap then you will know what to expect, dysfunctional characters playing it straight and getting into hilarious situations. This time the subject is not a rock and roll band but a dog show and in particular 5 participants and their crazy owners.

Directed by Christopher Guest (spinal tap) ,who also co-wrote the film with Eugene Levy (American Pie), the film begins with an introduction to each set of characters. We start off with the swans (played by parker posy and michael hitchcock) a couple of lawyers who are at a councelling session discussing how 'beatrice' has been showing signs of depression since witnessing them having sex. It's not until we see beatrice and hear the couple apologising feverishly that we realise that beatrice is their dog. This shows how nuts these people are, believing that their dog has emotional problems.

Next up are the flecks cookie and gerald (played by catherine o'hara-home alone and beetlejuice. and levy). A pair of terrier owners who make up little ditties about terriers and perform them, to their neighbours.

Harlan Pepper (guest) is a bloodhound owner from Pinenut, north carolina. He works in a fishing equipment shop and is an expert in inane chat. This is one of the funniest characters in the movie.

Scott Donlan (john michael higgins-ally mcbeals' steven milter) and Stefan Vanderhoof (michael mckean aka david st hubbins- spinal tap) are a gay couple of schitzu owners from new york. Scott is the flamboyant camp one and stefan is the more down to earth one. The banter between these two is superb, especially sco
tts love of double entendre. Childish but funny.

Finally is Sherri ann cabot (jennifer coolidge-american pie, a night at the roxbury), a trophy wife of a wealthy old man. She is accompanied by her poodles trainer christy cummings (jane lynch-the fugitive, collateral damage) a blatant raving lesbian who is having an affair with sherri.

So all the dog owners make their way to the Mayflower Dog Show to fight for the 'best in show' title, each followed by the cameras. The film has two different styles, a 'to the camera' style where the characters speak directly to the camera. Also a 'fly on the wall' style is used most of the time. On the way to the show each set of characters each have their own little storyline. The flecks visit some old school friends max and fay berman (max is played by larry miller-10 things i hate about you). Cookie had a relationship with max, something that max enjoys bringing up at dinner. Cookie has a very promiscuous past which is an ongoing joke through the whole film.

When the show gets underway we are introduced to the commentators, the outrageous Buck Laughlin (fred willard-austin powers 2) and Trevor Beckwith (jim piddock-independence day). Trevor is an english dog expert who is very straight laced, Buck is the total opposite, a loud American who basically talks rubbish through the whole show. Some of my favourite quotes from him are:

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'Excuse me if this off the subject a little bit, but just take a guess at how much I can bench press. Come on, what do you think? Take a guess. 315 pounds, maxing out at 400!'

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'Now tell me, which one of these dogs would you want to have as your wide receiver on your football team?'

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The two commentators are the source of most of the laughs in the second ha
lf of the film.

As i say in all of my film and tv ops this film is endlessly quotable (maybe it's just me), the comedy is a mix of slapstick and verbal humour. There are so many favourite moments i can't list them all without writing out the whole film, this is just an 87 minute highlight.The characters are on the whole, likeable. Maybe with exception to the swans and the lesbian pair. The finale is suitably satisfying and on the whole leaves you feeling good.

The extras on this DVD include a hilarious commentary by christopher guest and eugene levy. These are the kind of commentaries i love, filled with amusing anecdotes. There is also the obligatory trailer but the jewel in the crown is the half hour of deleted scenes. These really do add a lot to the film and are of a quality that is on a par with the main feature. They seem to have been cut out mainly for time reasons however they really make this film a two hour laugh fest.

I bought this for £12.99 the day it came out which i think is an absolute bargain, it is certificate 12 and is a treat for any comedy lover. If you are thinking of buying it but seem a little put off by the fact that it's a documentary just go for it. This deserves to be a comedy classic and should not be missed by anyone.

You'd be barking mad to miss it.

(sorry had to get one in there)

Cheers

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