A friend of mine asked, nay, demanded that I see this movie three years ago. She has bugged me on and off sincfe then about seeing it. Finally, I went out and rented it. I was surprised to find that it was a Christopher Guest movie. I have yet to see Spinal Tap, which is one of the major sins in my life, but I enjoyed Best in Show tremendously and Christopher Guest played one of my favoite characters in the Princess Bride. Needless to say, I was excited when I found that this was written and directed by him.

The beauty of Guest's movies is how subtle the humor is. The jokes arent obvious, there are no punchlines, its when you think about what is being said that you begin to laugh. Let me put it this way: if you thought Van Wilder was funny, you wont laugh at this movie at all. I'm glad I waited so long to see this movie; three years ago I wouldn't have understood what was so funny (three years ago I was in eighth grade). Obviously, my friend was or is a lot more mature than I am.

The story is exactly like Best in Show but about small play productions. Or, rather, Best in Show is exactly like this but about dog shows. It has many of the same actors, and, like Show, is written and filmed like a documentary. The characters talk directly to the camera about what is going on in a sit-down interview situation. The camera is never or seldom on a tripod, as far as I can tell; it seems to be handheld. This gives the movie a sense of realism that counters the exaggerated characters and balances everything out.

The exaggerated characters is what gives this movie its humor. They all are based in realism; they seem like people we know, but things that they say and do are rediculously exaggerated. Like the old high school jock forcing his wife to reenact famous baseball moments with him. Or the nerd who wears thick glasses and has bad teeth and a lazy eye. The characters are also stereotyped. There's the hillbilly Dairy Queen worker, the former jock living in the past, his wife the embarrassingly disheveled alcoholic, the nerd who thinks he's funny, and the latent homosexual play director. So we identify with the characters and enjoy laughing at on-screen charicatures of people we have met or known throughout our life.

The story is not anything spectacular, but that captures the normalness of it all. For Blaine, Missouri's susquecentennial anniversary, the city council has planned a day of festivities to be concluded with a play depicting the history of the town. The play is to be written and directed by recently arrived in town "professional" Corky St. Clair. The story is about the trials, tribulations, and melodrama that preceed the performance.

Nothing much happens, but it is the way the characters react to the little crises that will amuse you. There are no funny men, only straight ones. Each character shows not even a hint that all of this is goofy and silly. They all take it very seriously, thinking this small play production to be their ticket to stardom. This movie, at its core, is a satire on how silly people can be.

The only downpoint of this movie is the pacing. Since nothing much happens, it may be hard for the movie to keep your attention, depending on how long your attention sapn is. It certainly seems like more than its 84 minutes, and with the deleted scenes on the DVD, this movie could have easily been an hour and forty-five minutes, which I might not have been able to bear. However, the pacing here is not the worst there has ever been (see Full Frontal), and it suits the movie.

So if you like smart comedies, check this movie out. The humor is subtle but if you're wary enough, it will certainly make you laugh out loud on a number of occasions. I loved this movie, but I think with Christopher Guest's next movie he should find another format in which to tell his stories; this was basically Best in Show with plays.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older