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It’s been 10 years since Christopher Guest directed his last mockumentary, For Your Consideration. But now the guy behind quirky comedies like Waiting for Guffman and (as a writer) This Is Spinal Tap has teamed up with Netflix to release his latest, Mascots.
Mascots takes a wacky look at the world of sports mascots as they prepare for the 8th World Mascot Association Championship in Anaheim. The film follows a number of competitors as they prepare for the big show and as they arrive in town for the championship, eager to prove that they’re the best at entertaining and engaging a crowd. But, of course, every one of them faces some kind of challenge, whether it’s marital squabbles, bad sushi, a hyper-critical dad, or the competitors’ own unruly behavior.
Guest’s films are generally odd and eccentric in the funniest of ways, filled with quirky characters in outrageous situations. Here, he brings back his team of regulars to turn the spotlight on the men and women who play a big part in our favorite sporting activities, though we never see their faces.
The characters here are all pretty passionate—and some might even call them obsessive—about their side profession. By day, they’re mild-mannered teachers or butchers or real estate appraisers—but, when they put on their costumes, they’re wild and funny and popular: the life of the party. And each one is eager to show the rest of the mascot community what they can do.
The film certainly has its share of outrageously funny moments. Many of the acts are ingeniously bizarre—and some of the characters are funny in spite of their ridiculous behavior. Chris O’Dowd is loud and offensive and more than a little bit creepy, but his perfectly self-aware, devil-may-care attitude is also pretty hilarious (especially for hockey fans).
Still, there isn’t much of a plot here—just a random collection of mostly pointless stories and backstage bickering leading up to the competition. The humor, too, often falls surprisingly flat, focusing more on awkwardness and over-sharing than on real, genuine humor. It’s definitely good for some laughs, but it isn’t the hilarious Christopher Guest mockumentary that fans are hoping for.
With its oddball characters, its peculiar sense of humor, and its familiar cast, Mascots is another kooky feature from the king of mockumentaries. But it’s more awkward and less hysterical than some of Guest’s earlier films.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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