Best in Show

Best in Show is the greatest mockumentary since Spinal Tap — and some would argue it surpasses its predecessor. Christopher Guest's ensemble improvised an entire film about competitive dog owners preparing for the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, and the result is a comedy so observationally perfect that actual dog show competitors say it is barely exaggerated.

Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as Gerry and Cookie Fleck — a couple whose marriage is haunted by Cookie's extensive romantic past — deliver the funniest improvised performances in any Guest film. Every man they encounter is a former lover of Cookie's, and Gerry's dawning horror is improvised comedy at its absolute finest. Fred Willard's Buck Laughlin, the clueless TV commentator, steals the entire film with commentary so inappropriate and so relentless that it approaches performance art.

The film's genius is that it loves its characters even as it skewers them. These people are obsessive, delusional, and frequently insane — but their passion for their dogs is genuine. Guest finds the humanity in absurdity, which is why his mockumentaries feel more real than most documentaries. Parker Posey's meltdown over a missing toy is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking. Best in Show is proof that the best comedy comes from character, not jokes.