By Christopher Guest knows his way around mockumentaries. One of the co-stars of the influential mock-doc This Is Spinal Tap, Guest would eventually direct, co-star, and co-write three modern mockumentary classics with Eugene Levy: Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. These films were anchored by some key comic players, notably Fred Willard, Parker Posey, Catherine O’Hara, Jane Lynch, Bob Balaban, and Michael Hitchcock.
Guest has brought together many members of his classic ensemble for a new mockumentary for Netflix titled Mascots. It’s all about a sports mascot competition. Yeah. The trailer was just released today, and you can give it a watch below.
While this looks like a classic Guest mockumentary, Levy is noticeably missing both as a writer and cast member. O’Hara is also missing, which is very unfortunate. She’s routinely turned in the best performances in Guest’s films. Even though For Your Consideration was flawed, O’Hara’s work was masterful–funny and sad and terrifying, in that order and all at once. Makes me wonder if Mascots might be missing a certain humanity and vulnerability that Levy and O’Hara bring to their work.
Flixist EIC Matthew Razak mentioned that Mascots might be an unsubtle dig at Hulu’s original original documentary series Behind the Mask, which focused on the lives of sports mascots. Matt said, “I don’t think it was [Hulu’s first original series], but I remember a big push for it and thinking, ‘This is what you’re bringing to go up against House of Cards?'”
Mascots debuts on Netflix on October 13th.
[via Netflix on Twitter]