ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Movie_Muse_Reviews It seemed reasonable that after a decade away from feature filmmaking, Christopher Guest would return in a big way. His quirky and lovable comedies with equally quirky and lovable characters in "This Is Spinal Tap," "Waiting for Guffman," and "Best in Show" launched the mockumentary sub-genre, giving life to other successful films and TV shows. That seemed to provide proof enough that 2006's "For Your Consideration" was a misstep rather than a loss of mojo, but the equally flat "Mascots" suggests being quirky and lovable isn't so simple after all.All of Guest's films have stayed to a certain formula, a parody of average people who have big dreams, debatable talent and an inflated sense of self-importance. This documentary style of mixing testimonial with drama created space for talented improvisational actors to create hysterical caricatures, but their passions and dreams made them easy for audiences to relate to, no matter how silly. "Mascots" fits that mold. Mascot-ing is certainly an obscure "art form" that has the competition/performance elements that its predecessors had. A number of Guest's regulars appear in parts big and small (Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins and more) to offer dependability while fresh faces in contemporary comedy join in (Chris O'Dowd, Zach Woods, Sarah Baker, Tom Bennett and more) to add a little novelty. Yet "Mascots" just isn't interesting or funny enough.One obvious culprit is the cast size. There are a lot of mascots to focus on: Mike and Mindy Murray (Woods and Baker) the bickering mascot couple; Owen Golly (Bennett), the third generation mascot; Cindi Babineaux (Posey) the serious dance artist; Phil Mayhew (Christopher Moynihan) the overly passionate mascot who's kinda sad; and Tommy Zucarello (O'Dowd) the mascot who couldn't care less. They all fight for screen time, and that doesn't include the various event organizers, judges and coaches that eat away at their share.More of the problem could be that none of them have particularly compelling sub-plots or back stories that make their characters funny or interesting. They're all fairly archetypal. Each actor uncovers bits of genuinely funny comedy, but that humor comes in the smallest parcels in the smallest moments and doesn't impact the overall comedic impression of the larger scenes it's in, let alone the overall movie.We also don't get a full sense of what's at stake. Winning first place at the mascot competition only matters if there's investment in all the competitors and Guest sets some of them up to win our affections and some of them up to fail, making it not all that conflicting or suspenseful when it comes time for the competition. None of that would matter, of course, if more of "Mascots" was laugh-out-loud funny. The quirkiness works for chuckles, but the big moments when we expect comedic payoff are fairly predictable and unremarkable. At one point you realize "Mascots" really only came into existence for fans of Guest's mockumentaries, and that's when Guest reprises a role from one of his earlier films. It's the ultimate sign of pandering and perhaps an indicator that "Mascots" never had enough legs to stand on its own in the first place.You have to believe with all your heart that the right script could exist to rejuvenate this formula, but it's clear Guest didn't have the ambition, at least not yet. Considering it's been 10 years and he's not getting any younger, you have to wonder if we've seen the best he has to offer. I hope not, but four good movies from the same core concept ain't bad.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more.

mwarwick Even without Eugene Levy and Michael McKean, Mascots is consistently hilarious and easily equal in terms of laughs to Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and Waiting for Guffman. The writing and improv are top-notch, and there are all sorts of surreal little moments involving costumed characters behind the scenes that bring new dimensions to the otherwise formulaic approach (it's a good formula, mind you, which is why Christopher Guest sticks with it). Zach Woods and Parker Posey are the biggest standouts this time around. Both actors bring tremendous depth and soul to their characters. Only Chris O'Dowd, who is usually brilliantly funny, comes across as never quite finding the right tone. Great cameo by Christopher Guest, reviving his role as Corky.

funcrunch I never thought I'd be writing a negative review of a Christopher Guest mockumentary. "Waiting for Guffman", "Best in Show", and - especially - "A Mighty Wind" are some of my favorite films; I could watch them again and again. "For Your Consideration" was not great, but I figured that if I didn't have such high expectations from Guest's previous films, I might have enjoyed it more."Mascots", however, simply fell flat. I strained to find laugh lines; the humor was coarse or awkward when it existed at all. I understand that the lines in these films are improvised, but surely they do multiple takes of each scene to see what comes out best. If what is in this film represents the best improvisation this cast has to offer, I shudder to think what was left on the cutting room floor.Though the newcomers had some funny moments, the veteran cast members were generally better. Fred Willard never fails to please; though he is now showing his age, he's still great at portraying the dimmest person in the room. Bringing back Corky St. Clair from "Guffman" was great for the trailer to pull in fans, but ultimately didn't amount to much. There just didn't seem to be the feeling of a solid ensemble cast like there was in previous films.I think another problem was the subject matter. While all the other films chronicled events that actually take place in real life - a small town musical production, a dog show, a folk music tribute, the Academy Awards - this unconvincing "World Mascot Association championship" was just an excuse for silly sight gags and furry jokes. And unlike Guffman and Mighty Wind, I'm pretty sure none of the lead actors did their own performances. (If I'm wrong on that, it still doesn't affect my rating.)I must admit, though, that I loved the hedgehog act. That alone gets two stars out of me. And the pencil sharpener would make a great Halloween costume.

Lt. Vincent Hanna Like many, I'm sure, I was excitedly awaiting the next Christopher Guest movie - and coming in to this one, all indications (cast, premise, trailer, Netflix involvement) were encouraging. I was genuinely excited to sit down and watch it.Sadly, Mascots does not deliver against the high standard Guest fans have come to expect. It's essentially Best In Show without the charm, spontaneity or laughs.Although you have to believe all involved wanted to make something special, the inescapable lingering impression is of a very distinct 'Guest' formula (specifically, the variation of it applied in Best In Show) being reapplied with a (slightly) different cast and setting, but *without* inspiration or enthusiasm. The character introductions, the first-night cocktail party, the build-up to the event, the event itself, and the where-are-they now recap: *all* these elements were there, which is not necessarily a problem, but without some added magic (e.g., some innovative spark, something that creatively/emotionally unites the various story threads, or even just some consistent unexpected laughs) you're left with a pretty joyless, formulaic exercise in painting by numbers.I kept waiting and wanting to be emotionally invested in the movie, but never was. Someone won the gold Fluffy - but so what - someone had to. The 'network people' thread, set up as something that would have a huge bearing on the Fluffies' future, went nowhere. NOWHERE! They turned out to be from Burbank, not NYC (this demonstrates the standard of the jokes), and were then shunted aside to deal with the degenerate in the rabbit suit. We never saw them again. Oh well.It's as though, in the absence of any really interesting new ideas, Guest has just returned to an old well and repeated himself, and expected a paying audience to accept it. It felt like a contractual obligation. It's an unfortunate thing.I love so many of his earlier movies so much that I can't/won't give up hope. I just hope his next one delivers a bit more, well, entertainment.