Christopher Guest's 2000 mockumentary Best in Show is a tour de force that remains funny 20 years later. Guest is known for his mockumentary ensemble comedies focused around major public events. Best in Show digs into the unique world of dog fanatics by telling the stories of fictional participants in Philadelphia's annual Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show.
Loosely scripted, Best in Show employs improvised dialogue in order to make its characters' interactions with each other more believable. Guest co-stars alongside his usual cadre of actors, including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, and Michael McKean. Here are 10 of the most hilarious quotes from Best in Show.
"We Both Love Soup And Snow Peas." - Sherri Ann Cabot
Leslie and Sherri Anne Cabot own the repeat winner of the dog show, a standard poodle named Rhapsody in White. Sherri Anne, played by Jennifer Coolidge, is much younger than her wealthy beau, leaving audiences to infer the true nature of their relationship.
Sherri Ann waxes poetic about everything she has in common with her husband, including their mutual appreciation for snow peas. However, when Rhapsody's handler Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) comes around, it's obvious Sherri Ann and Christy are lovers.
"I Used To Be Able To Name Every Nut That There Was." - Harlan Pepper
Christopher Guest plays Harlan Pepper, owner of a bloodhound named Hubert. A southerner through and through, Pepper owns a fishing goods store. He travels to the dog show with Hubert in his RV, and he passes time practicing ventriloquism.
On the road, Harlan keeps himself busy by listing off all the different kinds of nuts in existence. He goes on to tell the camera how angry his mother used to get at him for naming off the titles of nuts. Believe it or not, this sequence is comedic gold.
"I Can't Dance. I've Got Two Left Feet!" - Gerry Fleck
Eugene Levy plays Gerry Fleck, a dorky Floridian who owns the Norwich Terrier Winky with his wife Cookie, played by Catherine O'Hara. Gerry is a wholesome, nervous fellow born with two left feet — literally.
When Gerry has to walk Winky in the competition after Cookie hurts her knee, traversing the obstacles with two left feet proves quite difficult. Fortunately, Gerry makes it through without a problem.
"I'll Gouge Your Right Eye Out With My Thumb, You Little Freak." - Max Berman
En route to Philadelphia, Gerry and Cookie visit a former fling of Cookie's in Ohio. The man, Max Berman, is married with a son. Max spends the visit making inappropriate advances toward Cookie. Gerry eventually can't take it anymore, and he gives Max a piece of his mind.
Meanwhile, Max's weird son takes Winky, the dog, onto the roof of a nearby shed. Max, a hostage negotiator, uses his skills to lure his son back down.
"Bratwurst And Shillelaghs... Paging Dr. Freud." - Scott Donlan
John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean play a New York-based couple, Scott Donlan and Stefan Vanderhoof. They are competing with their Shih Tzu Miss Anges. Scott loves cracking phallocentric jokes, and this quote showcases one of his best.
Shillelaghs are Irish walking sticks, and bratwurst is self-explanatory. It's obvious where Scott's focus lies.
"We Are *So* Lucky. We Are *So* Lucky To Have Been Raised Amongst Catalogs." - Meg Swan
Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock play Meg and Hamilton Swan, a pair of uptight yuppie Chicagoans who own a maladjusted Weimaraner named Beatrice. Meg and Hamilton met at Starbucks. With their braces and subtly matching attire, their neuroses know no bounds.
As they explain their attraction to each other when they are introduced in the film, the Swans engage in a long exchange about their mutual love for buying clothes from catalogs.
"How Many Years Ago Did He Poke Me?" - Cookie Fleck
Catherine O'Hara's sugary character Cookie Fleck has a past that follows her wherever she goes. While it's obvious she loves her husband Gerry and they're happy together with their dog Winky, Cookie spent her younger years as a freewheeling single woman who participated in many sexual escapades.
Throughout the film, various men from her past approach her, reminding her of their times together. Cookie clearly relishes it, but she tries to remain sensitive to Gerry's feelings.
"And To Think That In Some Countries These Dogs Are Eaten." - Buck Laughlin
Comedians Fred Willard and Jim Piddock play the announcers of the dog show. Their scenes were not filmed live. Instead, they were provided with information about each part of the competition, and they ad-libbed from there.
Willard's character Buck Laughlin knows nothing about dogs or the competition, and he is a hilarious foil to Piddock's character, dog expert Trevor Beckwith.
"We're Gonna Be In Philadelphia For 48 Hours. How Many Tea Services Can You Do?" - Stefan Vanderhoof
Stefan and Scott's relationship is defined by decadence, a love for movies, and theatrics. While packing for their trip from New York to Philadelphia, Stefan struggles to understand Scott's desire to bring a week's worth of clothes.
They do manage to bring their own decorations to Philadelphia, which they hang on the walls of their minimalist hotel room.
"God Loves A Terrier!" - Gerry And Cookie Fleck
At the beginning of the movie, Gerry and Cookie host a special party for Winky, even going as far as singing their own song in honor of their mutt. Their friends and loved ones in Florida savor their talented ditty.
Gerry, Cookie, and Winky seem like the outliers in the competition. They're the least experienced, the least traveled, and the poorest. Yet, their Norwich Terrier ultimately wins the title Best in Show.