Mascots

Mascots (2016) is a mockumentary comedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Christopher Guest — the same hand behind Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman. The formula is intact: a fake documentary crew, a deeply absurd competition, and performers who treat the whole thing with complete sincerity.

This time it is a mascot championship. Competitors in Platypus, Fist, Plumber and Armadillo suits converge on a single arena to compete for the title of World's Best Mascot. Each one arrives carrying real stakes — a crumbling marriage, a legacy nobody asked for, a fragile ego stuffed inside a foam head. Guest reassembled his core ensemble: Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, and the rest are given room to improvise freely within the setup.

It is not Guest's sharpest outing, but for anyone already on board with his deadpan wavelength, watching people cry backstage in a mascot costume is its own specific pleasure. Stream Mascots (2016) online on iFILM.