| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie contains strong language, sexual references, same-sex kissing, and adultery. Most teens won't be too interested in the material.
Director Christopher Guest takes on people who participate in dog shows in this mockumentary. Married uptight lawyers the Swans (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) own a neurotic Weimaraner named Beatrice, who just hasn't been the same since she saw them having sex. Cookie Fleck (Catherine O'Hara), is a woman with a ribald past who owns Norwich terrier and is married to a man with, literally, two left feet (Eugene Levy). Stefan and Scott (Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins) are a happy couple and the owners of an adorable Shih Tzu. Sherri Ann is a trophy wife and the owner of the reigning champ. Her dog's trainer (Cristy Cummings) handles more than the dog. Guest himself plays a Southern bait-and-tackle store owner with a bloodhound. And Fred Willard appears as the hopelessly untalented announcer.
Fans of offbeat humor will get a big kick out of this follow-up to Waiting for Guffman, but there will be more appreciative, "Oh, that's funny!" comments than outright laughs. Director Christopher Guest has a repertory company of top-notch improvisational actors. He outlines the story to each of them and then pretty much lets them create their own characters and dialogue. This gives his movies a wonderful sense of depth, as it really seems that we are getting brief glimpses of real characters who are just as interesting when the camera isn't on them. But it also means that the humor tends to come from small moments and from character rather than from jokes.
Catherine O'Hara is a delight as Cookie Fleck, and one of the movie's best running jokes is that almost everyone Cookie meets rapturously recalls some past encounter with her. Jennifer Coolidge is sensational as a cross between Lady Macbeth and Anna Nicole Smith.
Families can talk about why the awards are so important to the dog owners. Who sets up the standards for judging these dogs, and why? Talk about the way the different couples communicate and resolve differences with each other. Which ways are healthiest? Can you tell anything about a character by his or her choice of dog?
| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Christopher Guest |
| Cast: | Jay Brazeau, Michael Hitchcock, Parker Posey |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 29, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | May 15, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | language and sex-related material. |