Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book has some great stories from the cast and details about deleted scenes that are not on the DVD of the films, but contains a lot of filler.
For fans of Christopher Guest himself, you get a very detailed history of his performing career, although Guest himself was not interviewed for the book, he speaks through quotes from magazine interviews.
And that is how the book reads, like a long magazine article. For much of the book the author just recaps the major plot points of Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show and A Mighty Wind.
The main opinions/anecdotes of the films come primarily from: Harry Shearer (a lot of Harry Shearer), Bob Balaban, Fred Willard, Deb Theaker, Michael Hitchcock and surprisingly June Chadwick (Jeanine from Spinal Tap) who has yet to be in an actual Christopher Guest film, but is oft quoted concerning improv acting.
The most entertaining moments of the book come from the explanations of bits that were cut from the films, especially from Fred Willard who seems very disappointed that many of his bits went unused.
An OK read that's not expensive, not a long book so it's good for and afternoon read. Worth the money, if you are a Guest completist.

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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.