Competition is defined as a contest between two or more parties when they strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Survival and prestige await the winner of such a contest while failure awaits the unfortunate loser. This is a central theme of Best in Show. Upon watching the first few minutes of the movie, I was unaware of what the movie was about. I saw a young couple discussing their personal problems to a therapist in the very first scene and I instantly thought to myself that this was one of those dramas about dysfunctional families that Hollywood churns out every year. To my surprise, I was not entirely wrong in my assumption. Best in show is a mockumentary in a similar format to such films as Borat: Cultural Leanings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. It involves several fictional characters and their canine companions in their quest to be crowned winner of a fictional dog show.
Despite being a fictional documentary, the actors bring a sense of realism to the picture from start to end. They represent archetypes of real life personalities whether it is the homosexual couple, the socialite princess and her wealthy old husband, the yuppie (young urban professional) couple, the odd couple, and the redneck stereotype. The humor is never dry and is always satirical in nature. I find the arguments between the young urban professional couple to be the most relevant to my life. I often find my parents arguing over the simplest things when it comes down to my life. I wasn’t expecting this movie to mirror the events that happen in my life, so the surprise was thoroughly enjoyable and hysterical at the same time.
The movie tries to be witty while maintaining a sense of satirical realism and it does not disappoint the viewer in the slightest. The dogs are equally as fun to watch as their dysfunctional owners and add even more visual appeal to the overall picture especially when you are a dog lover. The scenes involving the exploits of the redneck stereotype were by far the most fascinating in the entire movie. In one scene, he describes the life a Southerner to the yuppie couple. They stand in confusion and apparent boredom as he continues to mumble jargon. Overall the movie was equally hysterical as it was intelligible. It satirizes very real situations. Bottom-line this movie should definitely be watched by those who seek a funny and intelligible movie. I highly recommend it!
Which scene were you talking about with the redneck stereotype? Was it the fisherman dog owner?
But anyways, I also felt that the film was quite comical and intelligible at the same time. The couples did fit into the typical life of real couples.