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Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company
Best in Show is the first in-depth look at the method behind film director and actor Christopher Guest's madness – and genius. John Kenneth Muir focuses his attention on the acclaimed Guest-directed trilogy of what some call “mockumentaries”: Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. In these films Guest has escorted rapt audiences into the purportedly real worlds of a small-town theatrical company, dog show competition, and folk music festival. Muir also details the events that lead to Rob Reiner's influential and legendary This Is Spinal Tap, which Rolling Stone called the best rock and roll movie of all time, and in which Guest played the part of guitarist Nigel Tufnel.Much of Best in Show exemplifies the unique process by which Guest directs films. He employs a common repertory company, improvises scenes often without any rehearsal, and does not use any screenplay with dialogue, instead following a detailed outline often co-authored with his ace actor/writer Eugene Levy. Company members that have been interviewed for this book include Fred Willard, Harry Shearer, Bob Balaban and Michael Hitchcock.Guest's influences – Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon – as well as his more conventional comedies, such as The Big Picture and Almost Heroes, are studied. Best in Show is general enough to bring new fans to the table, yet detailed enough to satisfy the most in-the-know Guest fan and film student. A complete filmography with Guest's directing, acting and writing credits is included, as is the appendix, “You Know You're in a Christopher Guest Film When ...”Guest once commented, “I am drawn to people who have dreams that are slightly out of reach.” Now, thanks to John Kenneth Muir, the fascinating world of Christopher Guest and company is substantially more within reach.
- GenresHumorNonfictionFilm
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2004
3 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
John Kenneth Muir
58 books50 followersJohn Kenneth Muir (born 1969) is an American literary critic. He has written as of 2023 thirty two books, many in the fields of film and television, with a particular accent on the horror and science fiction genres. He has been described as one of the horror genre's "most widely read critics", and as an "accomplished film journalist". He is the creator of the 2023 audio drama Enter the House Between, as well as the new novellas based on the series.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 7, 2025
Best in Show by Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, with improvised dialogue by members of the cast – a spectacular, one of the best comedy ensembles that gave audiences a few gems, including For Your Consideration http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/03/f... Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind
10 out of 10
The fact that this is an often hilarious show, does not mean that you do not find serious themes here, treated with humor, creativity…cruelty to animals is not apparent here, indeed, the owners of the dogs that are presented to become Best in Show love their pets, pamper them with treats, special toys, hairdressing (or is it fur dressing) and other amenities, if it could be argued that they care more about the trophy
Meg and Hamilton are the opposite of the protagonist from the mesmerizing, majestic, miraculous, august chef d’oeuvre Un Amour de Swan http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/u... they have a female Weimaraner called Beatrice and they give the animal everything she wants…that is, all that the owners think the pet desires, when they have sex, and the bitch sees them, they pay for a therapist, and this is preposterous, right, for what human knows what beasts think or want?
Anticipating (is there a need for a spoiler alert I wonder) they will give the poor Beatrice away – actually, we do not know what had happened to her, let us just hope they did not euthanize the poor creature, just because she did not win them the coveted award – and they talk to the amusing shrink – everyone here does a spectacular, gorgeous job, in the smallest parts possible – about the new animal, they have a French bulldog – and the way their sex life has improved and how good the new pet is
You find in The Economist – and surely elsewhere, but this is where I have read about this and so much else, I am a devoted reader and fan, I started reading it about forty one years ago, at time when this was dangerous, I would go at the British Embassy for that, the Library was in the same courtyard as the embassy, and I would take the illustrious publication to read it, when it was available…later on, inspired in part by what I have read there about democracies, I would take part in the revolution that took down one of the worst dictators in history, Ceausescu, and here is the proof, a copy of the page from the Newsweek article that covered the rebellion, in 1989 http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r... - articles about the new trends…
Smaller breeds have become more popular, in some cases it makes sense, Japan has a problem with space, there are many millions living on limited areas – albeit, the population is decreasing with a few hundred thousand each year, due to one of the lowest natality rates in the world – and thus having a small pooch makes sense, but in most situations, it is the social networks (with their pernicious influence) that promote the images of celebrities and their own animals, therefore the fact that quite a few have the French bulldog has changed statistics, the once most popular retriever has given way from the first place to other breeds…The French bulldog at the same time is not the most popular in…France
Alas, there are a number of interferences that have created animals that come with many health issues, they should not be here at all, such as the British bulldog, which has problems with breathing, and the French bulldog – as far as I can remember from what I read, so humans have played god and introduced on the planet creatures that look so cute, behave with such joviality, but their life can be a pain…and that of their owners, some thirty years ago, I used to have a German shepherd, Daryl van Horn, named after the Jack Nicholson character in The Witches of Eastwick http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/02/t... and he has had a lot of issues
In the meantime, we have had five borzois – plus about twenty three puppies that have been given away – one Afghan (in their home country, they say these are not dogs, they are Afghans, and indeed, they are difficult, next to impossible to control, for they have in their genes an extraordinary independence, they do not come when called, they are not ‘obedient’, on the contrary, they are noble, we could say arrogant) and a mutt, which was a source of some pleasure, but also a lot of conflict.
Speaking of Best in Show, the spouse had been very keen on taking the dogs to competitions, we even travelled once to another country, on the Bulgarian coast, just to show them to the juries and the audiences, to some extent in a replica of what we see in the film, with vanities, jealousy, tension, passion, nervousness, anticipation, patience and improvidence, many flaws and virtues on display, while the poor dogs have to try and be nice, wait, move around for the pleasure of humans, and especially, their masters…
Just like the backlash against having beauty pageants for humans http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/01/t... there are protests, organizations that will fight (they have been acting against) these Best in Shows, where animals have to go on display for no good reason, although there are other, more serious infringements of their rights, billions are tortured and killed so that people eat their meat, or just wear their furs or leather, a monstrosity that will have to end.
Yuval Harari is one of the greatest luminaries of our age and in his three majestic masterpieces he writes about issues confronting humanity, explores what the future will look like – we will live longer, have cars driven by AI, our health will be partly in the hands of artificial intelligence, for instance, the analysis of imagery, endoscopies, is much better done by a super intelligent machine that had had access to many millions of scans, than a human doctor, excellent as he, she, they may be, who has seen some thousands of patients, but no more – and laments the catastrophic treatment of animals http://realini.blogspot.com/2021/02/s... - Best in Show takes a light tone, it is a monumental comedy, but it uses sarcasm and irony to show the flaws, the selfishness of people…and now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
10 out of 10
The fact that this is an often hilarious show, does not mean that you do not find serious themes here, treated with humor, creativity…cruelty to animals is not apparent here, indeed, the owners of the dogs that are presented to become Best in Show love their pets, pamper them with treats, special toys, hairdressing (or is it fur dressing) and other amenities, if it could be argued that they care more about the trophy
Meg and Hamilton are the opposite of the protagonist from the mesmerizing, majestic, miraculous, august chef d’oeuvre Un Amour de Swan http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/u... they have a female Weimaraner called Beatrice and they give the animal everything she wants…that is, all that the owners think the pet desires, when they have sex, and the bitch sees them, they pay for a therapist, and this is preposterous, right, for what human knows what beasts think or want?
Anticipating (is there a need for a spoiler alert I wonder) they will give the poor Beatrice away – actually, we do not know what had happened to her, let us just hope they did not euthanize the poor creature, just because she did not win them the coveted award – and they talk to the amusing shrink – everyone here does a spectacular, gorgeous job, in the smallest parts possible – about the new animal, they have a French bulldog – and the way their sex life has improved and how good the new pet is
You find in The Economist – and surely elsewhere, but this is where I have read about this and so much else, I am a devoted reader and fan, I started reading it about forty one years ago, at time when this was dangerous, I would go at the British Embassy for that, the Library was in the same courtyard as the embassy, and I would take the illustrious publication to read it, when it was available…later on, inspired in part by what I have read there about democracies, I would take part in the revolution that took down one of the worst dictators in history, Ceausescu, and here is the proof, a copy of the page from the Newsweek article that covered the rebellion, in 1989 http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r... - articles about the new trends…
Smaller breeds have become more popular, in some cases it makes sense, Japan has a problem with space, there are many millions living on limited areas – albeit, the population is decreasing with a few hundred thousand each year, due to one of the lowest natality rates in the world – and thus having a small pooch makes sense, but in most situations, it is the social networks (with their pernicious influence) that promote the images of celebrities and their own animals, therefore the fact that quite a few have the French bulldog has changed statistics, the once most popular retriever has given way from the first place to other breeds…The French bulldog at the same time is not the most popular in…France
Alas, there are a number of interferences that have created animals that come with many health issues, they should not be here at all, such as the British bulldog, which has problems with breathing, and the French bulldog – as far as I can remember from what I read, so humans have played god and introduced on the planet creatures that look so cute, behave with such joviality, but their life can be a pain…and that of their owners, some thirty years ago, I used to have a German shepherd, Daryl van Horn, named after the Jack Nicholson character in The Witches of Eastwick http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/02/t... and he has had a lot of issues
In the meantime, we have had five borzois – plus about twenty three puppies that have been given away – one Afghan (in their home country, they say these are not dogs, they are Afghans, and indeed, they are difficult, next to impossible to control, for they have in their genes an extraordinary independence, they do not come when called, they are not ‘obedient’, on the contrary, they are noble, we could say arrogant) and a mutt, which was a source of some pleasure, but also a lot of conflict.
Speaking of Best in Show, the spouse had been very keen on taking the dogs to competitions, we even travelled once to another country, on the Bulgarian coast, just to show them to the juries and the audiences, to some extent in a replica of what we see in the film, with vanities, jealousy, tension, passion, nervousness, anticipation, patience and improvidence, many flaws and virtues on display, while the poor dogs have to try and be nice, wait, move around for the pleasure of humans, and especially, their masters…
Just like the backlash against having beauty pageants for humans http://realini.blogspot.com/2023/01/t... there are protests, organizations that will fight (they have been acting against) these Best in Shows, where animals have to go on display for no good reason, although there are other, more serious infringements of their rights, billions are tortured and killed so that people eat their meat, or just wear their furs or leather, a monstrosity that will have to end.
Yuval Harari is one of the greatest luminaries of our age and in his three majestic masterpieces he writes about issues confronting humanity, explores what the future will look like – we will live longer, have cars driven by AI, our health will be partly in the hands of artificial intelligence, for instance, the analysis of imagery, endoscopies, is much better done by a super intelligent machine that had had access to many millions of scans, than a human doctor, excellent as he, she, they may be, who has seen some thousands of patients, but no more – and laments the catastrophic treatment of animals http://realini.blogspot.com/2021/02/s... - Best in Show takes a light tone, it is a monumental comedy, but it uses sarcasm and irony to show the flaws, the selfishness of people…and now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
March 29, 2014
As a Christopher Guest fan, I was really excited to read this book. Waiting For Guffman is my favorite movie, so I was fully expecting to love this book. However, I could not stand the author's writing style. So, I give the content a '5' and the writing style a '1.'
It would be best if you have seen Guest's 4 biggest films: This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind. There are major chapters on each of these movies. I really enjoyed learning facts about the making of these movies. I also enjoyed the interviews with Fred Willard, Deborah Theaker, and others.
My large problem with the book was the way it was written. Muir goes into editorializing a lot in a needless way. He calls A Mighty Wind Guest's best film, and even though he makes his case, it seems out of place. I also cannot stand how he starts acting too familiar with the interviewees. He calls Deborah Theaker "Deb" in a couple places and mentions one interviewee's current movie (a Hillary Duff project that no Guest fan would possibly care about). He also makes a factual error in talking about Guffman and spells Teri Hatcher's name wrong. The author also draws on conjecture in a few places and seems to presume too much when talking about some of the editing or directing or writing choices.
I would recommend this book for truly diehard Guest fans only.
It would be best if you have seen Guest's 4 biggest films: This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind. There are major chapters on each of these movies. I really enjoyed learning facts about the making of these movies. I also enjoyed the interviews with Fred Willard, Deborah Theaker, and others.
My large problem with the book was the way it was written. Muir goes into editorializing a lot in a needless way. He calls A Mighty Wind Guest's best film, and even though he makes his case, it seems out of place. I also cannot stand how he starts acting too familiar with the interviewees. He calls Deborah Theaker "Deb" in a couple places and mentions one interviewee's current movie (a Hillary Duff project that no Guest fan would possibly care about). He also makes a factual error in talking about Guffman and spells Teri Hatcher's name wrong. The author also draws on conjecture in a few places and seems to presume too much when talking about some of the editing or directing or writing choices.
I would recommend this book for truly diehard Guest fans only.
June 11, 2008
I love all of Christopher Guest's movies, and this book is a look at the genius behind them. Christopher seems like a very interesting character.
November 22, 2020
Fascinating, inspiring. I love all his films and the ensemble of actors and this book goes behind the scenes. The talent of the actors to inprovise and the brilliant, arduous editing are amazing and so impressive. If you haven't seen these films, do, they are a treat! So is the book!
June 18, 2018
Not surprising that is probably just for the Christopher Guest completist.
April 12, 2019
I love that this book exists, but I have to agree with the sentiment of many other reviewers that it’s really for the Christopher Guest completist. Interesting content, kind of rough writing...
April 16, 2025
Mildly interesting behind the scenes anecdotes, but the last 40-50 pages is just filler, making a book without a lot of substance.
January 29, 2009
I love Christopher Guest movies and this is a book about them.
July 23, 2017
Picked this brand-new copy yesterday from the fifty-cent table and started reading it at the beach yesterday. for CG completists, though CG is not interviewed for the book.
June 22, 2015
If you're a fan of Chris Guest AT ALL this is a great behind the scenes read! I LOVE his movies and was fascinated by the process in which they are produced!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews