I swear I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Even when I wasn’t laughing out loud, I was laughing inside. This is pure comic bliss. Well, most of it anyways. Continuing the “mockumentary” tradition in the form of This is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman, this volume is set against a dog show. We follow a number of contestants as they prepare for and then compete in a tournament for their dogs.

Sounds boring enough, but it couldn’t be further from it. And I don’t even like dogs. What’s funny are the eccentric characters behind the dogs, all of them taking themselves extremely seriously.

One couple (Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey) treats their dog like their child and their relationship with each other revolves around their relationship with the dog. These couldn’t be worse parents, however. Full of anger and pride, this couple lashes out on each other for any mistake, while the dog looks on apathetically.

Another, older couple (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) is as clueless as the first but much more at ease. When a hotel clerk asks Levy how the weather was on their trip, he proceeds to give a day by day analysis. Levy plays the perfect nerd.

A gay couple (John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean) showcases their Shih Tzu. Higgins is particularly funny as the stereotypical gay man while McKean sings at night over the phone to his other dog left at home.

A lesbian couple (Jane Lynch and Jennifer Coolridge) are returning with a prize poodle. Coolridge’s character is actually married to a ninety-year old man while Lynch is the matter-of-fact butch who trains the poodle and is pretty sure of victory for the third consecutive year.

Director Christopher Guest amusingly plays a hick with a blood hound. My favorite characters, however, are the TV commentators for the dog show. One educated commentator (Jim Piddock) patiently puts up with the clueless commentator (Fred Willard), who’s constantly using analogies to other sports to try to explain what’s going on.

Ah, it’s a delight. This is subtle, intelligent humor the likes we rarely get on screen. In an age where puns and one liners still reign strong, it’s refreshing to see genuine character humor done so well.