Christopher Guest, mockumentary aficionado, makes his return to the genre with Mascots, a Netflix original comedy about the competitive world of — you guessed it — being a mascot. The film was released on Netflix Thursday, offering eager fans of Guest's work a chance to check it out. But is it worth your time?
The early reviews for Mascots have been mixed, with reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes holding it at an even 50% "rotten" rating on the site. In other words, it's a hard sell. The biggest problem, as the Verge's Tasha Robinson notes in her review, is that it doesn't hold the same abrasive comedic tone as Guest's previous mockumentaries (think: A Mighty Wind).
"After a promising, funny start, Mascots actually starts to take the craft and significance of mascotery somewhat seriously," Robinson writes. "And while it's admirable that Guest is enthusiastically rooting for his characters, there's nothing particularly funny about it."
The good news, however, is that Mascots does feature an impressive cast — many of whom are Guest's longtime collaborators. This includes Bob Balaban, Parker Posey and Jennifer Coolidge, along with newcomers like Silicon Valley's Zach Woods.
Plus, while the reviews for Mascots were less than kind, the early buzz from the Twitterverse sings a different tune. The consensus: If you like Guest's style, you're still going to like Mascots.
Mascots did not disappoint. Almost another Best In Show
Mascots Five stars from me. I wish Christoper Guest would make one of these every week.
So much joy at all of the familiar faces in #Mascots . I squeaked when @Fred_Willard appeared.
Just watched Christopher Guest's new film on Netflix, Mascots. Brilliant????????????
Mascots on Netflix as funny/tender/generous towards human absurdity & vanity as any of Chris Guest's previous + some great performances
