Director Christopher Guest has spent the past twenty years of his career working on an ever-growing list of comedic "mockumentary" features on varying topics. Farcical and amusing misadventures presented as "real life" documentaries, starring some of the best minds in comedy working today. This is somewhat appropriate, as the film that arguably made him a star was the fantastic "This is Spinal Tap", which he co-starred in, in addition to co-writing. From the amusing and quirky "Waiting for Guffman", to the surprisingly heartfelt "A Might Wind", Guest's films have been consistently hilarious and have maintained a frankly shocking degree of freshness through the years.While individual tastes vary between fans, and while everyone has their own personal favorite Guest film, I know I'm certainly in no minority to feel that the greatest achievement of his career is the incredible and frankly brilliant 2000 release "Best in Show." A film I feel is amongst the most underrated and under-appreciated comedies of all time. Sure, it does have a fan- base, but even still... it's a film that is so unique and so special, that it deserves a far greater audience and far more recognition that it currently receives from its moderate but very dedicated cult audience.It's time again for the annual Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, a prestigious dog-breed competition held in Philedelphia. The "documentary" follows a varied and very peculiar collection of contestants as they prepare to depart for their show with their beloved canines. Among them are Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara), a friendly and seemingly average middle- class couple who hope their terrier has what it takes; Harlan Pepper (director Guest), a southern man with a pronounced drawl who raises bloodhounds and has some interesting aspirations; Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock)- the most stereotypical upper-class yuppie- hipsters you could ever imagine; camp gay couple Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof (John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean) and their Shih Tzu and Sherri Ann (Jennifer Coolidge), a wealthy trophy-wife and two- time winner of the competition.A film made heavily through improvisational comedy and a clever, high-concept hook, "Best in Show" is such a wild success thanks to the incredible cast of performers assembled, and the delightfully bizarre characters they cultivate. From the pretentious Swan duo losing their minds over a squeaky toy by the name of "Busy Bee", to the delightful interactions between Donlan and Stefan, and certainly to the pure and very relatable giggles the average-seeming Flecks bring about... everyone is at the top of their game creatively, supplying some of the best subtle (and not-so-subtle at times) humor I've ever seen. Director Guest skillfully pulls out non-stop moments of charm and laughs from the amazing cast, and puts together one heck of a show.Though the film's appeal may be lost on those looking for a more general joke-a-minute-riot, "Best in Show" encapsulates many of the best instances of clever comedy to emerge in recent memory. It's a film more about delivering smirks and chuckles than out-loud belly- laughs, where quirky characters and oddly personal stakes take center stage and the plot often takes an overt back seat. The great fun of the film is seeing people who feel like they could very well exist, even if they are exaggerated for comedy, in a situation that's just odd enough that the average person would find it fascinating. It's about people first and foremost... it's about the men and women behind the dogs. And how the show is more about them than the canines on display."Best in Show" is in my mind one of the greatest comedies of all time. It's clever. It's entertaining. It's enthralling and charming. And it easily earns a perfect 10 out of 10. Sit! Stay! And prepare to laugh!

Fortunately it didn't cost me anything; friends rented it for a movie night so I sat through it for free. They thought it was great. I couldn't wait for it to be over. The odd thing is that I was on the cat show circuit for a while (yes, they have shows for cats too) so I should have appreciated the humor and lampooning of the whole concept, but I didn't. I can say that I met some pretty weird people at those cat shows, so that much was well within the limits of credibility... it sounds like some reviewers who didn't like the film had a hard time believing that such people exist, but it pains me to confirm that they do. The writer(s) must have some familiarity with these kinds of events in order to "get it" enough to write the screenplay, but it's just plain not funny.

The mockumentary form by Christopher Guest: it's something I'm quite fond of - and I've seen a few. This is the second time I've seen 'Best in Show', and this easy going, but filled to the brim with funny little details semi-roadmovie is well worth a watch.Lots of dialogue, lots of tricky relationships and individuals that are put under the looking glass, and with the clever writing of Guest, they all come up a little or more off, but that's the whole point of it.Well played by Guest himself (I really thought he must have gone on doing 'The Cleveland Show' after that bit in the woods) and many of the mock-regulars, such as Levy, O'Hara (in 'For Your Consideration' she does a great 'botox', here she wags her leg like no other), Posey, Willard (an imprudent commentator once again) and Coolidge.Good fun was had by all. 7 out of 10.

I'll confess: I've been a fan since 'Guffman'. BIS delivers exactly as you hope it will, and Catherine O'Hara is always a treasure. So let's cut to the downside. In each mockumentary, Guest always takes it a little too far, and kills his own humor. For instance, in 'Guffman', it was absurd that Corky would end up owning a theatrical gift shop in NYC, but even more wrong was the 'Remains of the Day' lunchbox. It's a great joke but it's TOTALLY out of character - Corky would have no idea that this film existed. Just as, here, it is too surreal that a hotel clerk would offer a utility closet to a poor couple. It's not funny because Guest ventures beyond basic reality; aside from the ridiculousness of the clerk going so far to do this, it's insane that hotel liabilities would be overlooked. Yes, I know, this sounds picky, but a funny documentary MUST stay on earth to stay funny. Similarly, Cookie's past sex life is taken way too far, especially in the visit to the old BF. All of this would work beautifully if Guest would just keep his fantasy a little real. But: it's still a pip. See it.