Panida to host double screenings of classic mockumentary Best in Show

By Reader Staff

Some may not know that writer-director Christopher Guest is also a baron and member of the British House of Lords. What everyone already does know is that Guest is peerless when it comes to mockumentary filmmaking, with such iconic examples of the genre as This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind.

Courtesy photo

Sandwiched amid that list is Best in Show, which delighted audiences in 2000 with its send-up of the world of competitive dog shows and the quirky pets and people who populate them. Co-written by and starring Eugene Levy, the cast also includes the likes of Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Bob Balaban, Will Sasso and Guest himself.

Each character is more unique than the last, as they prepare for and compete in the prestigious Mayflower Dog Show with hilarious results.

The Panida Theater will present two showings of PG-13-rated Best in Show on Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (doors 30 minutes before the show). Part of the theater’s $5 Sunday Cinemas Series, tickets are available at panida.org and at the door (300 N. First Ave.).

The series is sponsored by Joni MacNeill, DDS, of MacNeill Family Dental; Ben Richards, CPFA, of Merrill; Retro Play Arcade; and SkyRight Roofing and Gutters.