A Mighty Wind (Widescreen)

Briefly, here is the situation. Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban) is the son of a legendary producer of folk concerts in the 1950s and 1960s. In loving and respectful memory of his father, Steinbloom decides to produce a reunion concert in New York City's Town Hall which would bring together again Mitch & Mickey (Levy and Catherine O'Hara), The Folkmen (Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer) and the eight members of The New Main Street Singers. Once married, Mitch Cohen and Mickey Devlin are now divorced; when the film begins, she is now married to Leonard Crabbe (Jim Piddock). All of the performers eventually agree to appear and begin to prepare somewhat apprehensively for the concert. Of course, there are the inevitable tensions and pressures as they do so, exacerbated by the emotional baggage which several (notably Mitch & Mickey) have been dragging along in their lives for so many years. The concert finally begins and then....

Others have their own reasons for admiring this film so much. Here are three of mine. First, the most effective "mockumentaries" have a high level of verisimilitude. In this instance, if you had no idea that it is the score from A Mighty Wind, and were already familiar with various folk music groups, you would believe that selections such as "Old Joe's Place" and "Never Did No Wanderin'" are authentic. Guest and his associates took great care to ensure that the score is at least comparable with classics once performed by, for example, Dick & Dee Dee ("The Mountain's High," "Tell Me," "Young And In Love," "Love Is A Once In A Lifetime Thing," and "Where Did The Good Times Go." Now consider the titles of the songs which Mitch & Mickey sing in A Mighty Wind: "When You're Next To Me," "One More Time," "The Ballad Of Bobby And June," and "A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow." The Folkmen and The New Main Street Singers also have their historical counterparts which other reviewers have duly noted.

The second reason is that all of the acting is first-rate. Fred Willard (as talent agent Mike LaFontaine) and Jennifer Coolidge (as PR specialist Amber Cole) are especially noteworthy. It is quite an achievement to cast so many from Best in Show in roles in this film which are wholly dissimilar. It is an even greater achievement for the actors to bring it off. To name but two, Jane Lynch (Laurie Bohner) and John Michael Higgins (Terry Bohner).

Finally, probably because I attended so many concerts 35-40 years ago and collected an even greater number of the folk music albums, A Mighty Wind evokes an abundance of pleasant memories for me, memories of an age and of a society which now seem so far away. In my opinion, this is a much more serious film than are Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. With all due respect to the effectiveness of the comic elements, there is poignance in the awkwardness between Mitch & Mickey even as they seem to reach some degree of closure when singing "A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow." It is no fault of Guest, his cast, and crew that many such as I who enjoy seeing this film will later reflect on what awaited us at the end of our own "rainbow."

The whole cast is great, and it is wonderful to see the Spinal Tap guys performing as 'The Folksmen', Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are brilliant as 'Mitch and Mickey' (Levy's performance as an aging hippie should have won an Oscar), and the hilarious musical 'neuftet', 'The New Main Street Singers' were wonderful as the cheesy upbeat folk rip-off artists they are (and Fred Willard is especially brilliant as their manager.) The supporting cast is especially brilliant, with particular kudos to Bob Balaban whose obsession with legal culpability vis-a-vis the floral arrangements is priceless.

The DVD has many extras including extra scenes, the entire concert as performed, a performance of the haunting 'Catheter Song' by Catherine O'Hara, and full length commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy.

This is not to be missed; each time I watch it, it just gets funnier. Kudos to the whole cast!

Levy is sometimes too over-the-top with his portrayal of the neuron-challenged Mitch, but his chemistry with O'Hara elevates this film, particularly near the end, into something that goes deeper than gentle satire. Balaban starts off as an annoyance that you'd wish go away, but later he, too, provides some good laughs as he critiques the floral arrangements and the set design. Likewise, Fred Willard alternates between perfect mockery and irritating over-acting. Catherine O'Hara and Ed Begley, Jr. (as the PBN producer) are the only actors who hit the perfect pitch throughout.

All in all, this is an entertaining, oddball film that sometimes goes too far. Not quite deserving of four stars, this film nonetheless hits that level at various points. I recommend this for viewers who are fans of Guest's work or who are tired of watching Hollywood gloss.