Best in Show (2000) - Catherine O’Hara - Into the West

David, Lisa, and Bryan complete their Catherine O’Hara cycle with a deep dive into Best in Show, the community’s overwhelming choice in the listener poll. Christopher Guest’s 2000 mockumentary about competitors at the fictional Mayflower Kennel Club dog show was built from just a 15-page outline, with nearly all the dialogue improvised by a repertoire company that had been working together since the SCTV years.

The hosts break down each couple and their canine counterparts, from Cookie and Jerry Fleck’s endlessly resurfacing romantic history to the Swans’ therapy sessions with their Weimaraner, the easy warmth of Stefan and Scott with their Shih Tzu, and the competitive edge of Christy Cummings and Sherry Ann Cabot with their championship poodle. Special attention goes to Fred Willard’s legendarily obtuse color commentary alongside Jim Piddock’s unflappable straight man, and to how the film quietly normalized gay relationships years before marriage equality.

David watches the film for the first time and discovers a comedy classic hiding just inside his cringe tolerance, while Lisa and Bryan reflect on how this ensemble of improvisational geniuses shaped the landscape of modern comedy from SCTV through Schitt’s Creek and beyond.

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