Search - Best in Show on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Questionable for Children, Adult Humor Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 05/15/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 22 Genres: Comedy, Comedy of Manners, Mockumentary, Ensemble Film

After parodying the idiosyncrasies of community theater devotees in the mock documentary Waiting for Guffman, actor/director Christopher Guest returns with another semi-improvised comedy that casts a satirical gaze on the world of championship dog breeding and training. A television crew is on hand to document the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, and competition is fierce among the canine devotees vying for top honors. Salesman Gerry Fleck (Eugene Levy), who is cursed with two left feet (literally), and his wife Cookie (Catherine O'Hara) have entered their Norwich terrier "Winky" in competition. Wealthy and neurotic Meg Swan (Parker Posey) and her husband Hamilton (Michael Hitchcock) are on hand with their Weimaraner "Beatrice," who they fear may have been traumatized by watching them have sex. Scott Donlan (John Michael Higgins) and his life partner Stefan Vanderhoof (Michael McKean) have brought their beloved Shih Tzu, "Miss Agnes." Trophy wife Sherri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge) and her close friend and trainer Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) are hoping for a repeat victory for Sheri's poodle, "Rhapsody In White." And Harlan Pepper (Guest), who operates a store specializing in fly-fishing gear, has decided to stack his bloodhound "Hubert" up against the competition. In addition to Guest, Levy, O'Hara, and Posey, several other veterans of the Waiting for Guffman cast also appear in Best in Show, including Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, and Lewis Arquette. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Eugene Levy - Gerry Fleck
Catherine O'Hara - Cookie Fleck
Christopher Guest - Harlan Pepper
John Michael Higgins - Scott Donlon
Michael McKean - Stefan Vanderhoof
Michael Hitchcock - Hamilton Swan
Parker Posey - Meg Swan
Jennifer Coolidge - Sherri Ann Cabot
Jane Lynch - Christy Cummings
Fred Willard - Buck Laughlin

One might imagine that the short, witty "mockumentaries" that result from Christopher Guest's improvisational filmmaking style leave a lot of good footage on the cutting room floor. As the Best in Show DVD demonstrates, that assumption is correct. The DVD includes no less than 17 deleted scenes, some of which originally appeared on the film's promotional website, and many of which could have easily been included in the film without bloating its running time. It's clear that Guest's editing instincts were at their most ruthless when it came to his own scenes as low-key babbler Harlan Pepper, but each of the main characters shows up at least once in this section. A nice touch is that the scenes can all be viewed in succession without returning to the menu after each one. The DVD also includes information on eight cast members and one theatrical trailer. Guest's commentary with co-star and co-writer Eugene Levy is disappointingly sparse, considering their off-screen friendships with many of their castmates and the fact that they have five of the movie's credits between them. There are a few minor sound-related glitches, as actors' voices sometimes shift channels abruptly and for no clear reason. The best reason to own this DVD is the movie itself and the material that never made it to the big screen. ~ Jeff Alexander, All Movie Guide