''Best in Show'' is a 2000 American

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

co-written by

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy ...

and

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and ...

and directed by Guest. The film follows five entrants in a prestigious

dog show A dog show is an animal show; it is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a '' breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs f ...

as they travel to and compete at the show, and stars Guest and Levy alongside

Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress and comedian. Known for her work in the comedy genre, Coolidge is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2023, she wa ...

John Michael Higgins John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and game show host whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's '' The Late Shift'', and a starring role in the ...

Michael Hitchcock Michael Hitchcock (born July 28, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer. Early life Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Un ...

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Gui ...

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career in sketch comedy, sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dra ...

, and

Parker Posey Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress. Known for playing eccentric characters in independent films, she was named "Queen of the Indies" by ''Time'' in 1997. She has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

. Much of the dialogue was improvised. Many of the comic actors were also involved in Guest's other films, including ''

Waiting for Guffman ''Waiting for Guffman'' is a 1996 American mockumentary comedy film written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, and directed by Guest. The film's ensemble cast includes Guest, Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban and Parker Posey ...

'', ''

A Mighty Wind ''A Mighty Wind'' is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. Co-written (with Eugene Levy), directed, and compos ...

'', '' For Your Consideration'', and ''

Mascots A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fictional, repres ...

''. The film's score was composed by C. J. Vanston.

Plot

Five dogs and their owners, trainers and handlers travel to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

to compete in the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. Gerry and Cookie Fleck are a middle-class couple from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

who arrive at the Taft Hotel with their

Norwich terrier The Norwich Terrier is a breed of dog originating in England, and was bred to hunt small rodents. One of the smallest terriers, these dogs are relatively rare. Their drop-eared variety is the Norfolk Terrier. Description Appearance These ...

Winky. After having forgotten to pay their credit card bill and short of cash, they are forced to sleep in the hotel's storage room. While traveling to the show, they encounter several of Cookie's former lovers who try to seduce her again, much to Gerry's chagrin. Meg and Hamilton Swan, a stereotypical

yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...

couple from a

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

suburb, arrive with their

weimaraner The is a German breed of hunting dog of medium to large size, with history going back at least to the nineteenth century. It originated in the area of the city of Weimar (then in Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the state of Thuringia), for which ...

Beatrice. Their constant doting and neurotic behavior toward Beatrice—for example, taking her to a psychotherapist after she sees them having sex in a position they learned from the ''

Kama Sutra The ''Kama Sutra'' (; , , ; ) is an ancient Indian Hindu Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the ''Kamasutra'' is neither exclusively nor predominantly a sex manual on sex positions ...

''—confuses and upsets her. Harlan Pepper, the affable Southern owner of a fishing goods store and an aspiring

ventriloquist Ventriloquism or ventriloquy is an act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) speaks in such a way that it seems like their voice is coming from a different location, usually through a puppet known as a "dummy". The act of ventrilo ...

, arrives with his

bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is ...

Hubert. The Pepper family has raised a variety of hounds for generations; Harlan continues the tradition by raising bloodhounds. Sherri Ann Cabot is the buxom, overly-made-up

trophy wife A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires subs ...

of her elderly

sugar daddy Sugar dating or sugaring is an interpersonal relationship where one person receives money or gifts in exchange for intimacy or companionship. The provider (called a sugar daddy or sugar mommy) is typically older and wealthier, while the recipi ...

Leslie Ward Cabot. A former two-time winner of the show, Sherri Ann receives help with her

standard poodle The Poodle, called the in German () and the in French, is a Dog breed, breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Po ...

Rhapsody in White, also known as Butch, from her taskmaster trainer Christy Cummings. An extremely competitive

butch Butch may refer to: People * Butch (nickname), a list of people * Barbara Butch, French lesbian DJ and activist * Butch Patrick, American child actor Patrick Alan Lilley (born 1953), best known for his role as Eddie Munster in ''The Munsters'' ...

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

, Christy rigorously trains Butch for the show and rejects Sherri Ann's offers of a beauty

makeover A makeover is a radical change in appearance. When the word is used to describe a change in human physical appearance, it may imply a change in clothing, haircut, or cosmetics. A personal makeover might also include weight loss, plastic surgery, ...

. Leslie is oblivious to Christy and Sherri Ann's romantic involvement, as well as everything else happening around him. Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof are a

campy Camp is an aesthetic and sensibility that regards something as appealing or amusing because of its heightened level of artifice, affectation and exaggeration, especially when there is also a playful or ironic element. ''Camp'' is historically ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

couple who take great pride in their Shih Tzu Miss Agnes and are confident that she will win the competition. They share a love of old movies and enjoy making fun of Christy Cummings, but are friendly to the other competitors, especially the Flecks. The dog show is hosted by dog expert Trevor Beckwith and oblivious "color" commentator Buck Laughlin, whose inane banter is completely lost on Beckwith. During the first round, Beatrice is disqualified when she becomes aggressive and Hamilton cannot control her, which the Swans chalk up to a dog toy of Beatrice's that they had lost prior to the show. The other four dogs advance to the final round. Just before the finals, Cookie dislocates her knee and insists that Gerry take over for her despite his two left feet (the result of a birth defect). Though Gerry is nervous, Winky ultimately takes Best in Show. After the competition, Gerry and Cookie return home to Florida and enjoy brief fame there. While in a studio recording

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

s about terriers, they discover that the recording engineer is yet another of Cookie's ex-lovers, to Gerry's unending frustration. Christy and Sherri Ann, now openly in a relationship (Leslie's fate is unclear), publish ''American Bitch'', a magazine for lesbian owners of purebred dogs. After spending weeks on a

kibbutz A kibbutz ( / , ; : kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1910, was Degania Alef, Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economi ...

, Harlan fulfills his dream of being a ventriloquist, entertaining sparse crowds with a

honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, honky tonk, or tonk) is either a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons or the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ...

song-and-dance number. Stefan and Scott design a calendar featuring Shih Tzu dogs in costume appearing in scenes from classic films such as ''

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

'' and ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

''. Meg and Hamilton are visibly happier together after replacing Beatrice with a

pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...

named Kipper, whom they claim enjoys watching them make love.

Cast

Actors

as Gerry Fleck *

as Cookie Fleck *

as Scott Donlan *

as Stefan Vanderhoof *

as Hamilton Swan *

as Meg Swan *

as Sherri Ann Cabot *

as Christy Cummings *

as Harlan Pepper * Larry Miller as Max Berman *

Linda Kash Linda Kash (born 17 January 1961) is a Canadian actress. Career Kash was born 17 January 1961, in Montreal. She was a cast member of Second City and played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sitcom '' Style & Substance''; she has also playe ...

as Fay Berman *

Jim Piddock Jim Piddock (born April 8, 1956) is an English actor, producer and writer who began his career on the stage in the United Kingdom before immigrating to the United States in 1981. After establishing himself in leading roles on Broadway, he moved ...

as Trevor Beckwith *

Fred Willard Frederick Charles Willard Jr. (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984), ''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), ''Be ...

as Buck Laughlin * Ed Begley Jr. as Mark Schafer *

Lynda Boyd Lynda Boyd (born January 28, 1965) is a Canadian actress, singer, dancer, musician, and writer. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films ''Final Destination 2'' (2003), ''An Unfinished Life'' (2005), ''She's the Man'' (2006), and ''O ...

as Cabot Party Guest *

Teryl Rothery Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress of stage, television, and film. She is best known for portraying Dr. Janet Fraiser in the TV series ''Stargate SG-1''. She co-starred as Grace Sherman in '' Cedar Cove'', and has had major roles as Muriel in ...

as Philly AM Host *

Tony Alcantar Anthony Joseph Alcantar (born in 1959 or 1960) is an American actor. He has done improv work with the Windy City Women Improv Troupe, acted in TV shows and films, provided voice acting for TV animation and video games, and worked as a dialect co ...

as Philly AM Chef *

Camille Sullivan Camille Sullivan (born July 6, 1975) is a Canadian actress. Among her notable television appearances are ''Rookie Blue'', ''Da Vinci's Inquest'', ''Intelligence'' and '' Shattered''. She won a Leo Award for her role in '' Normal''. She was also no ...

as Philly AM Assistant *

Patrick Cranshaw Joseph Patrick Cranshaw (June 17, 1919 – December 28, 2005) was an American character actor known for his distinctive look and deadpan humor. He is best known for one of his last roles, that of Joseph "Blue" Pulaski, a fraternity brother, ...

as Leslie Ward Cabot *

Will Sasso William Sasso (born May 24, 1975) is a Canadian comedian, actor, and podcaster. After a starring role as Derek Wakaluk on the Global teen drama television series '' Madison'' (1994–1998), Sasso had his breakout as a regular cast member on the ...

as Dale the Fishin' Hole Guy *

Bob Balaban Robert Elmer Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. Aside from his acting career, Balaban has directed three feature films, in addition to numerous television episodes and films, and was one of the pro ...

as Theodore W. Millbank III *

Don Lake Donald Lake (born November 26, 1956) is a Canadian actor, writer, and television producer. He is frequently cast by director Christopher Guest, and is also a close friend and frequent collaborator of Bonnie Hunt. He had a role in '' The Bonnie ...

as Graham Chissolm *

Jay Brazeau Jay Brazeau is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Sam Fisher in '' Cold Squad'', Harlan in ''Stargate SG-1'' (1998, 2001), and for voicing Uncle Quigley in '' Sabrina: The Animated Series''. He is also known for his role as Bobby in ''D ...

as Dr. Chuck Nelken *

Hiro Kanagawa is a Japanese-Canadian actor and playwright based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has appeared in numerous high-profile films and television series shot in the Vancouver area, including ''The X-Files'', ''Smallville'', ''Caprica'', ''Godzil ...

as Pet Shop Owner * Don S. Davis as Mayflower Best in Show Judge Everett Bainbridge *

Rachael Harris Rachael Harris (born January 12, 1968) is an American actress and comedian. The accolades she has received include nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and a Saturn Award. In film, Harris has had lead roles as Susan Heffley in the ''Dia ...

as Winky's Party Guest *

Deborah Theaker Deborah Theaker (born April 6, 1964) is a Canadian actress. She is best known as Casey Edison on the Lucasfilm science fiction satire '' Maniac Mansion'' which ran from 1990 until 1993. Early life and education Theaker was born in Moose Jaw, Sa ...

as Winky's Party Guest *

Lewis Arquette Lewis Michael Arquette (; December 14, 1935 – February 10, 2001) was an American actor. He was best known for playing J.D. Pickett on the television series ''The Waltons'', on which he worked from 1978 to 1981. Life and career Arquette was ...

as Fern City Show Spectator *

Colin Cunningham Colin Alexander Cunningham (born 1966) is an American television and film actor. Cunningham is best known for his roles as John Pope in the TNT science fiction series '' Falling Skies'' and as Major/Lt.Col Paul Davis on ''Stargate SG-1'' and ...

as New York Butcher *

Fulvio Cecere Fulvio Cecere (born March 11, 1960) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. Early life Born in Canada, he moved to Hawthorne, New Jersey, as a teenager and attended Hawthorne High School, graduating as part of the class of 1978. Cecere attended Sout ...

as Airport Passerby *

Carmen Aguirre Carmen Aguirre is a Chilean-born Canadian actress and writer. She plays a prominent role in '' Endgame''. Early in her life, she lived and worked as a member of the Chilean Resistance. Carmen was raped by the “Paper Bag Killer” which was th ...

as Taft Hotel Maid *

Peter Kelamis Peter Kelamis is an Australian actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known for voice roles including Goku in Ocean's English dub of the animated series ''Dragon Ball Z'' (succeeding Ian James Corlett and preceding Kirby Morrow), Rolf from ''E ...

as Bartender (scene deleted) * Fred Keating as Jack (scene deleted)

Dogs

The starring dogs listed are denoted by their registered names. All have earned the title ''Ch.'', indicating they have qualified for a championship at conformation shows, with most qualifying for the

Canadian Kennel Club The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC; ), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control by Agricultur ...

Championship—hence the prefix ''Can''. The kennel prefix of one or more breeders precedes each dog's registered name; e. g. in "Arokat Echobar Take Me Dancing", the first breeder is "Arokat" and the second is "Echobar" while the name is "Take Me Dancing". The registered name differs from the dog's call name, which is used to talk to the animal. For example, Arokat Echobar Take Me Dancing's call name is "Peach". * Can Ch. Arokat Echobar Take Me Dancing - Beatrice the Weimaraner * Can Ch. Urchin's Bryllo - Winky the Norwich Terrier * Ch. Quiet Creek's Stand By Me - Hubert the Bloodhound * Can Ch. Rapture's Classic - Miss Agnes the Shih Tzu * Can Ch. Symarun's Red Hot Kisses - Tyrone the Shih Tzu * Can Ch. Exxel's Dezi Duz It With Pizaz - Rhapsody in White (Butch) the Standard Poodle

Production

Filming took place in Vancouver and Los Angeles. In a 2000 interview, Christopher Guest reflected, "Originally, we thought it would be easier to go to an actual dog show and film there, but nobody would let us do that." Eugene Levy adds that, "We actually had to stage our own dog show. And that's where the nightmare started. We literally had to put everything together from scratch, get somebody to organize the whole show, get the dogs in, find trainers and so forth." The greater part of the film was

improvised Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

by the actors, with little to no planning. Sixty hours of footage were filmed, as was the case with Guest's previous mockumentary ''

''. Levy said, "There is a much wider appeal for this movie than for ''Waiting for Guffman'', which was a funny movie and a funny premise but not as accessible as this film, which is more mainstream. People just love dogs."

Reception

''Best in Show'' received critical acclaim. The film has a 93% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 118 reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A fine example of writer/director/star Christopher Guest's gift for improvisation comedy, ''Best in Show'' boasts an appealingly quirky premise and a brilliantly talented cast." The film also has a score of 78 out of 100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. It won

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, and

Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. Th ...

. The film is number 38 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". A 2022 ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' review of the best comedy films of the 21st century ranked this as first. The film opened to a weekend gross of $413,436 to 13 theatres with an average of $31,802 per theater. After opening to a total of 497 theaters, the film ended its run with a domestic total of $18,715,392. The foreign gross of $2,074,164 brought its total gross revenue to $20,789,556.

Legacy

''Best in Show'' was the inspiration for the broadcast of the

National Dog Show The National Dog Show is an American all-breed benched conformation show sanctioned by the American Kennel Club and the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, which takes place on Thanksgiving each year and has been televised on NBC since 2002. History The ...

, which has aired each Thanksgiving on NBC since 2002. To celebrate Halloween 2022, former ''

Victorious ''Victorious'' (stylized as ''VICTORiOUS'') is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. The series revolves around aspi ...

'' castmates

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

and

Elizabeth Gillies Elizabeth Egan Gillies (born July 26, 1993), also known as Liz Gillies, is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a teenager and made her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in the Musical theatre, musical ''13 (musical), 13'' (200 ...

paid homage to ''Best in Show'' by recreating several scenes from the movie in which they each dressed up as multiple characters. After shooting in May, the results were then posted to Instagram on October 28 and drew praise from Jennifer Coolidge.

References

Works cited

External links

* * * * {{Christopher Guest 2000 comedy films 2000 films 2000 LGBTQ-related films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s mockumentary films American LGBTQ-related films American mockumentary films Castle Rock Entertainment films Films about competitions Films about dogs Films directed by Christopher Guest Films scored by C. J. Vanston Films set in Pennsylvania Films set in Philadelphia Films shot in Vancouver Films with screenplays by Christopher Guest Films with screenplays by Eugene Levy Gay-related films Improvised films LGBTQ-related comedy films Warner Bros. films