I first became obsessed with Christopher Guest back in high school when my drama teacher introduced me to the comedic masterpiece which is Waiting for Guffman. Over the years I’ve been his most faithful fan, watching his entire canon of marvellous mockumentaries: Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration.
I’m most fond of Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, two films I’ve seen (literally) hundreds of times. I nerd out over the dialogue, mouthing the words with perfection to the amazement of whoever has the privilege of sitting next to me. When I discovered Netflix had ingeniously tapped into Guest’s talent to produce an original film, premiering at TIFF no less, I was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.
I had the opportunity to screen Mascots at home the only way I know how, with a few bottles of craft beer and a large meat lovers pizza. For all the Guest nerds out there patiently waiting for Mascots to launch on Netflix (mark your calendars so you can host your own giggle laced pizza party on October 13th) I can confirm his newest offering is by far one of his funniest.
Guest and members of his beloved stock company — Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Begley Jr., and Fred Willard — along with new additions Chris O’Dowd and Zach Woods, usher us into the high-stakes world of professional sports mascots, who are engaged in a cutthroat competition for the annual “Gold Fluffy Award.”
All the world’s a stage in the films of Christopher Guest, and all the players just want to be loved, to be accepted — and to win! Guest’s semi-improvised mockumentaries consistently champion the underdogs. (And, in the case of the magnificent Best in Show, actual dogs.) With this latest film, the director and his extended family of gifted collaborators usher us into the milieu of professional mascots, those energetic individuals who bravely don ridiculous oversized costumes to excite sports fans and cheer on their team with slapstick antics. Chronicling the competition for the World Mascot Association’s Gold Fluffy Award, Mascots is an inspired showcase for the comic genius of Guest and company.
Among the mascots who descend on Anaheim for the Golden Fluffies are a Midwestern man whose routine is based entirely around plumbing (wait till you see him chase around that poop), a Texan whose moves are heavily informed by modern dance (Parker Posey marry me now), and a womanizing Irish Canuck raised in a commune whose members follow the spiritual teachings of Michael Landon’s character on Highway to Heaven (a hat tip to Canadian hockey culture). The stakes are high, and the competitors must contend with mandatory drug testing, familial guilt trips, marital discord, and food poisoning. The WMA organizers, meanwhile, are desperate to impress a pair of representatives from the Gluten-Free Channel, who may just want to turn the Fluffies into a nationally televised event.
My favourite (soon to be iconic) moments from the film include a serious exchange about the sex lives of Furries, Jennifer Coolidge’s return as a gold digger, an awkward performance at a blind school, a Rabi dancing with a worm and the surprising return of Waiting for Guffman’s fabulously flamboyant theatre professional Corky St. Clair played by none other than Christopher Guest himself.
Last week during the launch of the Toronto International Film Festival several of the Mascots crew dropped by The Hollywood Reporter Lounge at Brassaii to chat about the film. Watch your heart out!
