Christopher Guest Helms New Film

Ever since Christopher Guest regaled us with the beauty of “turning it up to 11,” as rocker Nigel Tufnel in This is Spinal Tap, many among us have craved that unique flavor and understated zing of the Guest-ian comic touch. It’s a dry mode of comedy, verging on but never giving completely into absurdity or to delivering obvious punch-line moments. The consistent character of his work — and that of his keenly equipped ensemble cast —adds up to a distinctive and coherent world unto itself in comedic filmmaking, often leaving us wanting more.

Thankfully, Guest (and Netflix, which funded the project) has heard our pleas and filled our hunger with the delectable and lovably oddball Mascots, his first film in a decade, available now on Netflix. Guest craves finding the right social milieu or quirky subculture to live in for a project, whether it’s clueless rockers in Spinal Tap, provincial theater in Waiting for Guffman, or dog show dynamics in Best in Show.

In Mascots, he takes a trip to another offshoot from normality, unmasking the secret world of “mascottery” — a profession requiring enthusiasm, showbiz instincts, and that seeming enemy of celebrity: anonymity. Guest takes advantage of the outrageously varied menagerie of costumes, skits, and real-life personalities in the field to keep the film fresh. Plot-wise, all roads lead to Anaheim, where our masked heroes are competing in the World Mascot Association championship, hoping to win “the Golden Fluffy Award” and possibly a coveted spot on the Gluten Free Channel (run by Upton French, who previously had the Varicose Vein Channel).