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IMDbPro

Best in Show

  • 20002000
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
64K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,913
430
Promotional Poster
Trailer 2 for Best in Show
Play trailer2:12
4 Videos
85 Photos
Comedy
A behind-the-scenes look into the highly competitive and cut-throat world of dog shows through the eyes of a group of ruthless dog owners.A behind-the-scenes look into the highly competitive and cut-throat world of dog shows through the eyes of a group of ruthless dog owners.A behind-the-scenes look into the highly competitive and cut-throat world of dog shows through the eyes of a group of ruthless dog owners.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
64K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,913
430
  • Director
    • Christopher Guest
  • Writers
    • Christopher Guest
    • Eugene Levy
  • Stars
    • Fred Willard
    • Eugene Levy
    • Catherine O'Hara
  • Director
    • Christopher Guest
  • Writers
    • Christopher Guest
    • Eugene Levy
  • Stars
    • Fred Willard
    • Eugene Levy
    • Catherine O'Hara
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 381User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 11 wins & 14 nominations

    Videos4

    Best in Show
    Trailer 2:12
    Watch Best in Show
    Best in Show
    Trailer 2:06
    Watch Best in Show
    Best in Show
    Trailer 2:08
    Watch Best in Show
    'Wine Country' Star Paula Pell Declares Her Love For Madea Films & 'Bridesmaids'
    Interview 3:21
    Watch 'Wine Country' Star Paula Pell Declares Her Love For Madea Films & 'Bridesmaids'

    Photos85

    Christopher Guest stars as Harlan Pepper
    Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara star as Gerry and Cookie Fleck
    Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock star as Meg & Hamilton Swan
    Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins star as Stefan and Scott
    Cristy & Sheri
    Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Hitchcock, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, and Fred Willard at an event for Best in Show (2000)
    Christopher Guest and Catherine O'Hara at an event for Best in Show (2000)
    Christopher Guest in Waiting for Guffman (1996)
    Parker Posey, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, and Michael McKean in Waiting for Guffman (1996)
    Parker Posey, Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, and Michael McKean in Waiting for Guffman (1996)
    Best in Show (2000)
    Jennifer Coolidge in Best in Show (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Fred Willard
    Fred Willard
    • Buck Laughlin
    Eugene Levy
    Eugene Levy
    • Gerry Fleck
    Catherine O'Hara
    Catherine O'Hara
    • Cookie Fleck
    Jennifer Coolidge
    Jennifer Coolidge
    • Sherri Ann Cabot
    Jay Brazeau
    Jay Brazeau
    • Dr. Chuck Nelken
    Parker Posey
    Parker Posey
    • Meg Swan
    Michael Hitchcock
    Michael Hitchcock
    • Hamilton Swan
    Carrie Aizley
    Carrie Aizley
    • Fern City Show Spectator
    Lewis Arquette
    Lewis Arquette
    • Fern City Show Spectator
    Dany Canino
    • Fern City Show Judge
    Bob Balaban
    Bob Balaban
    • Dr. Theodore W. Millbank, III
    Will Sasso
    Will Sasso
    • Fishin' Hole Guy
    Stephen E. Miller
    Stephen E. Miller
    • Fishin' Hole Guy
    Christopher Guest
    Christopher Guest
    • Harlan Pepper
    Michael McKean
    Michael McKean
    • Stefan Vanderhoof
    John Michael Higgins
    John Michael Higgins
    • Scott Donlan
    Colin Cunningham
    Colin Cunningham
    • New York Butcher
    Jehshua Barnes
    • Scott's Wild Date
    • Director
      • Christopher Guest
    • Writers
      • Christopher Guest
      • Eugene Levy
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Fred Willard (Buck Laughlin) was specifically instructed by Christopher Guest not to do any research on dogs. Jim Piddock (Trevor Beckwith), on the other hand, had to do a lot of dog research so that his character would appear knowledgeable. As a result, Guest says some viewers are surprised to learn Piddock is not a real dog show judge.
    • Goofs
      At one point during the Dog Show, supposedly taking place in Philadelphia, PA, an aerial shot of the arena reveals Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. This was stock footage "borrowed" from Sudden Death (1995), whose plot involves a hostage situation; hence, the excessive number of police cars, which make no sense at a dog show.
    • Quotes

      Harlan Pepper: I used to be able to name every nut that there was. And it used to drive my mother crazy, because she used to say, "Harlan Pepper, if you don't stop naming nuts," and the joke was that we lived in Pine Nut, and I think that's what put it in my mind at that point. So she would hear me in the other room, and she'd just start yelling. I'd say, "Peanut. Hazelnut. Cashew nut. Macadamia nut." That was the one that would send her into going crazy. She'd say, "Would you stop naming nuts!" And Hubert used to be able to make the sound, he couldn't talk, but he'd go "rrrawr rrawr" and that sounded like Macadamia nut. Pine nut, which is a nut, but it's also the name of a town. Pistachio nut. Red pistachio nut. Natural, all natural white pistachio nut.

    • Crazy credits
      Lord Haden-Guest...Sitar (Lord Haden-Guest is Christopher Guest)
    • Connections
      Edited from Sudden Death (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      God Loves A Terrier
      Written by Eugene Levy

      Performed by Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara

    User reviews381

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Basically an improvised "home movie" that uses a dog show as the reason to introduce the various strange characters.
    After watching "Best In Show" my first question was, "Why did so many rate this movie so highly?" My wife walked out after 10 minutes. In a fit of generosity I gave it a "6" of 10, only after I viewed the DVD version with the director's commentary turned on.

    The director and co-writer is Christopher Guess, who also stars as Harlan Pepper, a country bumkin who is showing his bloodhound, and studies ventriloquism on the side. The other co-writer is Eugene Levy who stars as Jerry Fleck, who meets up with another of his wife's ex-lovers almost everywhere they go. Jerry as two left feet, literally.

    To say the movie was "written" is a bit of a stretch because, as Guess and Levy explain, all scenes and dialog were improvised, with no rehearsals. Except for Parker Posey, who plays the out-of-control housewife, all the actors are veterans of improvisation, and most have worked together in other movies. The whole film has the feel of "improvisation", and the look of a hand-held home movie, but with better sound. Instead of using selective focus to isolate the subject, almost everything is in focus in most scenes.

    Fred Willard was the most entertaining. Many of us have seen him regularly in comic skits on the Jay Leno late night TV show. He was one of the two announcers at the dog show, and his questions and comments never fit, but were funny because of that. "How do they get those Scnauzers to become minature? Do they shrink them? Do you know they eat dogs in some cultures? That judge, examining the dog's testicles, I would be uncofortable on a date with her!"

    The dog show brings forth the gay couple, the quarreling couple, the March/December couple, and so forth. After "best in show" is picked, and everyone goes their separate ways, the short epilog shows how the show influenced them and what they did afterward. The funniest was the calendar the gay couple were making, showing two dogs posed as various famous movie characters.

    Why do I think this is a mediocre movie? It is obviously a vanity project. Guess and Levy apparently said, let's make a comedy with lots of funny people and sight gags, let's use improvisation, and use a dog show in Philadelphia as a reason for following the lives of all these "fringe" personalities. I found it entertaining for the most part, but also found Parker Posey's acting to be too much "over the top", and found myself cringing instead of laughing. Too many of the "gags" came across as forced humor. While I admire the project, having made many home movies myself when my children were growing up, overall the effort misses the "entertainment" mark of a major film.
    helpful•10
    7
    • TxMike
    • Jun 16, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 20, 2000 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Filmymen
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dog Show
    • Filming locations
      • Anmore, British Columbia, Canada(Bait Shop locale)
    • Production company
      • Castle Rock Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $18,715,392
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $413,436
      • Oct 1, 2000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $20,789,556
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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