Stop what you’re doing right now and watch this trailer. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Done? OK, now we can move on. Yes, that is the first full length trailer for Christopher Guest’s upcoming mockumentary Mascots and, yes, it does look amazing. Glad we can agree on that.
Mascots does exactly what one would expect from the director of Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. Guest’s trademark mockumentary style and gang of brilliant comedians are all on display in this trailer, reminding us why we love Guest and his crew so very much. The general outline is there: documentary-style talking head interviews, interspersed with the weird world of dog competitions, folk music, community theater, or, in this case, mascot competitions. But more important is the meat of the matter, where the comedians get to cut loose a little bit and form their own strange, lovable, and always entertaining characters.
The director is very good at letting his cast do what they do best without too much interference. Based on this trailer, Mascots will be no different. Guest has gathered together another stellar set of comedians, many of them featured in his usual stable of actors, with one or two surprises.
In addition to the familiar faces of Parker Posey, Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jane Lynch, we also have some newcomers to the Guest fold, including Chris O’Dowd and Zach Woods. Unfortunately, I see neither hide nor hair of Eugene Levy or Catherine O’Hara, but we can’t have everything. And if you think you spot another familiar face in the trailer, you’re quite right: Guest himself is back as Corky St. Clair, the eccentric central character of Waiting For Guffman. Goodie!
Mascots will be premiering at TIFF, with a release on Netflix on October 13, 2016. Are you excited yet?