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Movies / On DVD / Best in Show
Best in Show

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Best in Show (2000)

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Reviews Counted:104

Fresh:98

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: Though not as good as Waiting for Guffman, the movie's lively cast and hilarious script have the critics laughing. Fred Willard, in particular, steals the show.

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly... The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across America prepare to take part in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest events of their lives -- the Mayflower Dog Show.

The canine contestants and their owners are as wondrously diverse as the great country that has bred them. There is Harlan Pepper (CHRISTOPHER GUEST), a fly-fishing shop owner from Pine Nut, North Carolina, who hopes that his Bloodhound, Hubert, may be the first of his kind to win top prize at the show.

In their upscale Illinois home, yuppie lawyers Meg (PARKER POSEY) and Hamilton Swan (MICHAEL HITCHCOCK) anxiously ready themselves and their somewhat neurotic Weimaraner, Beatrice, for the big event.

Meanwhile, in Fern City, Florida, mild-mannered menswear salesman Gerry Fleck (EUGENE LEVY) and his vivacious wife, Cookie (CATHERINE O'HARA), happily prepare their Norwich Terrier, Winky, for the most important show of his competitive career.

In New York, professional handler Scott Donlan (JOHN MICHAEL HIGGINS) and his longtime partner, hair salon owner Stefan Vanderhoof (MICHAEL McKEAN), happily anticipate the event as they feel that one of their Shih Tzus, Miss Agnes, stands a very good chance of winning the cup.

Although the fabulously wealthy and elderly Leslie Ward Cabot (PATRICK CRANSHAW) and his voluptuous young wife, Sherri Ann Cabot (JENNIFER COOLIDGE), are confident that their two-time champion Standard Poodle, Rhapsody In White, will keep the crown, they aren't taking any chances and have hired ace handler Christy Cummings (JANE LYNCH) to assure their win.

At the Mayflower Dog Show, everything is being organized with the utmost precision under the watchful eye of Mayflower Kennel Club President Dr. Theodore W. Millbank III (BOB BALABAN) and the show's chairman, Graham Chissolm (DON LAKE). Trevor Beckwith (JIM PIDDOCK) and Buck Laughlin (FRED WILLARD) are the Mayflower dog show commentators.

Finally, the hundreds of contestants come together under one giant roof, the audience throngs the massive arena and the competition begins in earnest as television cameras bring the wonderful world of dogs to millions. [More]

Starring: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock

Starring: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Catherine O'Hara, John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, Jim Piddock, Patrick Cranshaw, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Bob Balaban, Don Lake

Director: Christopher Guest

Director: Christopher Guest
Screenwriter: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
Producer: Karen Murphy
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Best in Show

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
05/12/01
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/16/01
Ben Falk
Ben Falk
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
03/09/01
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Guest e sua trupe sempre conseguem divertir com seus mockumentaries, mas este longa, ainda que pontualmente brilhante, encontra-se entre os mais frágeis da filmografia atípica do cineasta.

comment Comment
07/10/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/06/08
Eddie Cockrell
Eddie Cockrell
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...it's always a pleasure to watch this ensemble of gifted talents do what they do best -- be spontaneous and funny and surprising. What we get is a master-class demonstration of the distinction between comic actors and comedians who try to act.

Full Review Source: Film.com | comment Comment
02/08/08
Mark Bourne
Mark Bourne
Film.com

The movie gets its laughs by letting its people talk and reveal themselves unconsciously.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Zertinet Movies | comment Comment
10/01/05
Steven Snyder
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies

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Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
07/09/05
Bruce Newman
Bruce Newman
San Jose Mercury News

... an excellent example of how funny a movie can be merely by observing human nature honestly, at its brilliant best and miserable worst.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine

Call it a mockumentary or a dogumentary, Christopher Guest's latest spoof is a very funny, improvised comedy about the world of dog shows.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
06/23/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Critical Eye | comment Comment
01/24/04
Mark Freeman
Mark Freeman
Critical Eye
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for Best in Show

November 16, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: Toon and Bond Battle for #1 Spot
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January 03, 2006: 'Dust in the Wind'…"Old School's" Patrick Cranshaw Passes Away
Patrick Cranshaw, the actor best known as Will Ferrell's elderly frat buddy Joseph "Blue" Palansky in 2003's "Old School," has passed away at the age of 86. More...

June 22, 2005: Ensemble Signs Up for Untitled Rom-Com Spoof
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of an upcoming romantic comedy spoof that has five actors and no title ... yet. Screenwriters Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer ("Scary... More...

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