Guest's 'dogumentary' is a bit of a mongrel. It wants us to care about a
group of oddball dog owners whose lives converge on a big dog show, but it
also wants us to laugh at their expense. The combination's not
impossible - it worked in Spinal Tap, and Guest sticks fairly close to
that film's format - but perhaps the self-important delusions of dog
owners are a less compelling target than those of rock dinosaurs. It's
still enjoyable and weirdly educational - but not enough of the gags hit
home, while the characters are too caricatured for the drama to pay off.
