Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company [Paperback]

John Kenneth Muir (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Master of the "mockumentaries" Waiting for Guffman (1997) and A Mighty Wind (2003), Guest is an original, and Muir, who has written books on the films of Kevin Smith, Sam Raimi and others, does a superb job of illuminating Guest's qualities as person, performer and director. Responsible for the definitive rock and roll spoof, 1984's This Is Spinal Tap, Guest emerges as an honest, affectionate satirist, claiming, "I am drawn to people who have dreams that are slightly out of reach." Muir points out his subject's talents as clarinet, mandolin and guitar player, and traces his career from off-Broadway appearances in Jules Feiffer's 1971 Little Murders and 1973's Lemmings, a show that also starred Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Stockard Channing. Guest, son of a CBS records executive and husband of actor Jamie Lee Curtis, was heavily influenced by his early idol, Peter Sellers. The book's knowledgeable study of Guest's filmmaking methods includes details of editing "eighty hours of film for a ninety-minute movie"; conducting handheld, relatively static interviews; and leaving "live background" noise on the soundtrack. The great value of reading about this quirky creator is absorbing his message, which applies to moviemakers and laymen alike: blaze your own path and have enough self-belief to buck the tide of conventional opinion. Photos.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557836094
• ISBN-13: 978-1557836090
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Kenneth Muir is the award-winning author of over 24 books in the fields of film & television, with an accent on horror & sci-fi. John has been described as one of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" by Rue Morgue Magazine, and as an "accomplished film journalist" by Comic Buyer's Guide. His director books include profiles of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Christopher Guest, Tobe Hooper, Mira Nair, Sam Raimi, and Kevin Smith. John has twice won a Booklist Editor's Choice citation (for Horror Films of the 1970s and Terror Television). John is also the creator of the award-nominated web series, The House Between, and in 2009 John's blog, Reflections on Film/TV was named one of the "top 100" film study blogs on the Net. In 2010, John appeared in the documentary Nightmares in Red, White and Blue.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight, but reads like a long editorial., June 3, 2008

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Mel Zorro - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (Paperback)

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.