Don’t let the title fool you, this is actually a dramatic portrayal of a fly-fishing life intertwined with the sad realities of modern-day living, all reflected against a backdrop of canine competition.

Last night, I watched (for the N^th time) one of my all-time favorite fly-fishing movies, Best in Show (directed by Christopher Guest). It has a little side-story about a dog show, but the real meat—the true essence of the film—is devoted to fly fishing.

For a solid three minutes (plus an additonal key conversation), the movie focuses squarely on the fly-fishing life. An authentic fly-shop location and the references to “disco midges,” “droppers,” and “woolly buggers” make the movie rich in necessary realism. And the Harlan Pepper character (played by Guest himself) is a deeply emotional center-point for the richly intertwined fly-fishing saga.

You gotta love Christopher Guest for not only making one of the all-time great fly-fishing films, but for also staying so true to the subject matter. If he ever decides to make a fly-fishing “mockumentary,” you know I’ll be first in line to offer my stunt-casting services… ;)

As an aside, if you’re a dog person, you may find the canine-centric side-story to also be mildly entertaining (beware some innuendo and bawdy humor, if you have an aversion to it). Guest may have tried to overstate the “dog show” aspect of the film at the expense of the sweeping fly-fishing story line, but in the end, the lure and lore of our beloved angling heritage takes the day, and the dogs (and their eccentric owners) are relegated to little more than supporting roles.

A little note: If you have never seen a Christopher Guest film, you may or may not find his sense of humor (and film-making style) to be to you liking. Me? I’m a fan, and Best In Show is perhaps my favorite of his films (but I often like my humor both dry and subtle). Be warned, Guest takes no prisoners when it comes to characterization, and viewers may uncomfortably see a bit of themselves in some of the satire (points finger at self).