Best in Show

Yet another review for a mockumentary, I can't help it, they're just so raw and human. On the surface, this is just a competitive dog show documentary, but that's just an excuse. Diving deeper we see the obsession, insecurity, and the human need to be taken serious. Even if everything they are doing is the opposite of serious, it is ridiculous, really it shows how we strive to prove ourselves in our everyday lives.

Christopher fully commits to the bit of a mockumentary, one of the many pioneers apart from Rob Steiner (R.I.P.). There are no winks to the camera, forced punchlines that are just begging for laughter from the viewer. The humor is dry, awkward, and often times uncomfortable. Creating second hand embarassment can go wrong very fast but this film does not let that happen. Scenes are able to breathe while the absurdity starts to sink in while still creating the atmosphere a rather normal feeling piece. You are not told when to laugh, the film just allows you to either catch it or let it pass you by. Film is subjective, humor is subjective, but this film is able to hit the funny bone for MOST people. There is something so special about movies that mimick the calmness of most documentaries and twist them into something to ridiculous you cannot help but laugh such as this film and Borat.

Let's talk about the cast because, man! This film is packed to the brim with stars that are perfectly utilized in their roles. Parker Posey portrays unhinged in a way that makes your eyes go wide as you witness her multiple breakdowns with husband in the film played by Michael Hitchcock. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara play the role of a delusion yet almost upsetting couple that both makes you cringe and laugh. Even as each person in the film goes through these events they are played as if they would rather be nowhere else but the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. Every character believes they are the main character, the subject of the documentary that will win the show which only adds more awkwardness and comedy.

Beyond parody, this film is elevated by how serious each subject is taken, even the subject of the dog show itself is documented as serious. The dogs are never mocked, in fact most of the time they are just there chilling while their owners are the ones depicted as crazy. The egos of the owners, judges, and systems of the niche yet posh interest are targeted. Every human in this film is strange, neurotic, and often times insufferable but they also are earnest. You cannot help but show some sort of love for the owners and I found myself specifically rooting for Harlan Pepper and his dog Hubet. The amount of improv in this film gives a looser feel, it creates the rawness of a real documentary. This realism made the mockumentary format so effective as the funniest scenes were a spur of the moment. Instead of feeling like movie it gives the vibes of something you stumbled across on cable TV at noon on a Tuesday.

All in all, Best in Show is not flashy or loud like most comedies. Rather, it trusts that the audience will be patient, observant, and a little bit weird in order to pick up on the comedy. If you are willing to meet it on it's level, Best in Show may just be the thing for you. This film shows that even the most absurd of interests can't be too bad as long as you have the heart to put YOUR passion into it.