Mascots

The closet thing we have to the great Mike Leigh is probably Christopher Guest who serves up another of his improvfests, Mascots. Following on the heels of his other competition flicks Best in Show & For Your Consideration, we follow a bunch of lovable eccentrics trying to make their mark in their world w/hilarious, rib tickling results. We also have a return of Corky St. Clair from Waiting for Guffman which is worth the price of admission in itself.

Christopher Guest has always made seriously hilarious mockumentaries. Beginning with the classic comedy "This is Spinal Tap," Guest has riffed on every subject from local theater, to dog shows, and here he is taking on the world of mascots. He assembled some of his favorite actors (Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Ed Begley Jr., and John Michael Higgins to name a few) and has released his newest film "Mascots," on Netflix. Though Guest uses the same great set-up as many of his past films, sometimes tried and true methods are more tired and false.

While I have enjoyed all six of Guest's written mockumentaries, this film is a bore-fest from start to finish.For one thing it doesn't feel like a mockumentary. There's too much polish and obvious talking heads flavoring this film for it to feel like anything other than a run of the mill, factory made comedy. Though there are a couple of chuckles to be had at the witty banter, there's nothing truly incisive about the commentary of this film. The world of mascoting might be small, like the dog show circuit, but it's not one that truly lends to a lot of social discourse, or any true characterizations of small town America, which is Guest's bread and butter. It wouldn't surprise me if the entire reason Guest chose mascots is part of the film concerning the Furry community, which is the only truly interesting bit of the film.

Some aspects of the film feel really stale and out of place. The entire plot turn where Cindi Babineaux's school's past is called into question, was clearly unneeded, because it does nothing but hinder the plot and confuse the audience. It's also unclear why Fred Willard and Brad Williams conversation needs to happen at all, except to show a character out of their depth. Actually a lot of the cast feels unneeded or written poorly, including the married couple, The Fist and his straight man, and all the side mascots. The routines aren't even really about supporting a team. They're often influenced more by vaudeville, or clown culture, which doesn't fit into the film at all.

Honestly, this would have made for a better television show. It would be great to see these characters in a more in-depth way, and really explain mascot culture for those of us completely in the dark. Though it's clear much of the cast is trying their darndest to recapture the old magic of "Waiting for Guffman," and "A Mighty Wind," this is probably the lowest Christopher Guest has ever sunk. (Barring "Almost Heroes" of course.)

I'm not sure why others who claim to be a fan of Guest's previous work didn't like this one so much.

I thought it was great and adequately satisfied my need for more Guest mockumentaries.

Don't go in expecting it to be another Guffman or Best In Show and you'll probably dig it.

The only thing I wish would have been different is if it had had Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara in it.

I wouldn't say it's the best of Guest's ouevre but if you really like his stuff I can't imagine not liking this too.

We were waiting for this movie to become available after seeing some previews and were not disappointed. I was surprised at the awful reviews--maybe the humor is just too subtle for some folks. It was clever and amusing, with a lot of little amusing details. It's not my favorite of his movies (that would be Best in Show), but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to fans. Fred Willard's character is even more cringe-making than usual, Parker Posey plays pathetically un-self-aware women with such skill, and I really admire the willingness of this group of actors to make themselves pretty unattractive and awkward in the service of the faux-documentary style.

This is a spoof documentary following the contestants attending the Mascot Awards.

I am not usually a fan of adlib but it really works here as the interviews come off quite candid but obviously silly.

There is a lot of really good talent here and utilised well.

The lesser-known names are also really good and all the characters are fleshed out.

The film cumulates in the Mascot performance finale - which is entertaining in its own right.

This is an unusual movie - it is silly but professionally made and the story is coherent.

I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny but it quite amusing and I was invested in the characters.

I feel like this film deserves more praise than I am prepared to give it.

I recommend this for a week night watch for a few chuckles.