Customer Reviews

A Mighty Wind (Widescreen)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

When discussing three of the films in which Christopher Guest has been centrally involved thus far (i.e. Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind), it would be inaccurate to suggest that they follow the same formula. Rather, Guest is guided by an equation which consists of the following: an ensemble company of immensely talented actors, hilarious satirical material presented in a "mockumentary" style, and a multi-dimensional plot which concludes with a Grand Event. He directed the three films and plays a central role in them, as does Eugene Levy with whom Guest also co-authored the screenplay for each. Best in Show remains my personal favorite but A Mighty Wind is nonetheless immensely entertaining even as it (oh so subtly) suggests some serious issues along the way.

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."

'A Mighty Wind' is one of the best comedies of the last twenty years, as are all of Christopher Guest's movies, starting with 'This is Spinal Tap'. 'A Mighty Wind' focuses on a reunion concert featuring three different acts and all the unforeseen troubles the show encounters along the way.

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!

"A Mighty Wind" is one of those films that I can't quite decide whether I like or not. It has some brilliant moments, but just as many that fall flat through over-acting or over-the-top details. Told in the framework of a documentary ("mockumentary"), the film follows the production of a folk group reunion concert as a tribute to the recently deceased promoter Irving Steinbloom. Steinbloom's nebbish son Jonathan (Bob Balaban) decides to reunite the groups his father represented. We are treated to the "famous" Mitch and Mickey duo (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara), the Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer), and The New Mainstreet Singers, a bunch of dimpled, wholesome, perky, downright sappy group that one character accuses of sounding like a toothpaste commercial. The concert is the highlight of the film as all the behind-the-scenes action gets subtly dramatized in the performances. (The cool-down phase of the epilogue is less successful.) The title song itself "A Mighty Wind" had me doubled over with laughter.

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.

If you've seen Christopher Guest's WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW, then you know what to expect: a mock documentary poking gentle fun at the object of it's satire, in this case the "folk music" popular in the '60s, and those who would exploit it for commercial profit. The cast is anchored, as usual, by former Second City luminaries Catherine O'Hara & Eugene Levy, together with Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Guest himself. All are excellent, but Levy shines as the tragicomic sad-sack former folk-idol, Mitch. Jane Lynch also stands out as the irrepressible former-porn-slave-turned-bizarre-religious-cult-leader of The New Main Street Singers (a New Christy Minstrels send-up), and so does John Michael Higgins as her husband. Ed Begley, Jr. turns in another smoothly understated performance as the yiddish-spouting Swedish goy public television producer, Lars. And Michael Hitchcock is spot-on as the full-of-himself concert hall director whose mounting exasperation with Bob Balaban's neurotic impressario provides the only true belly laugh in the movie.

A MIGHTY WIND might not quite reach the highs of Guest's former efforts, but it avoids their lows, too, with better pacing and a more sustained story. For once, his commitment to his material and characters seems to equal his commitment to the improvisational working method that no one does better than this talented troupe. On its own terms, then, A MIGHTY WIND is a rather successful little movie full of good clean fun. Had it aimed a little higher, it might deserve another star, but it certainly merits no fewer than three.

I had great expectations for the movie when I went to check it out from the local video store. Several friends told me how their sides hurt from laughing so hard after seeing it in the theater, and the folk music subject interested me. After watching the film at home myself, I felt a little disappointed. I chuckled a few times, but overall I didn't find "A Mighty Wind" very funny. I understood a lot of the references to the folk music "revival" of the 1950s and 1960s, but either the humor was just too silly or too subtle to tickle my funny bone. The acting is superb, the characters seem genuine and believable, but the plot is dry. Thirty minutes into the movie, I caught myself glancing at the DVD display every few minutes to see how much more time was left--not a good sign. If you like the folk music of the 1950s and 1960s, or are a fan of Christopher Guest, you may enjoy this movie, but if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend renting it before spending over twenty dollars to buy the DVD. It was somewhat amusing the first time through, but it's certainly not a film I'd want to watch again.

Spinal Tap goes Folk! As the creators of the cult hit drop their obscure brand of comedy into the clean world of banjos & barbershops like an ageing hippies last trip.

So is it funny? Taking its lead from Tap, it uses the same spoof-documentary format & while the story was planned before hand, all the scenes are improvised. Leaving the comic talent of Harry Shearer (Simpsons), Eugene Levey (Pie) & Christopher Guest (Tap) to never fail and always deliver.

Yeah, but it's about Folk music! Don't be concerned as the story will have you splitting your guts with laughter & if the music isn't your bag to start with you'll be hard-pressed to stop toe tapping by the end.

First of all, if you are looking for Spinal Tap, go buy Spinal Tap. This is a movie that combines great folk music with a funny story filled with touching (and not so touching) moments. The 3 gents from spinal tap are back as the Folksmen, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara play off each other with comedic brilliance. And the best neuftete I've ever heard fills out the bill. You'll need to watch it many times to catch all the jokes. Worth buying. Highly Recomended.

Why only 4 stars and not 5? I cannot believe that in 2004 there are still companies that package DVDs in flimsy cardboard cases rather than plastic clamshell keepsakes. And this is a film you'll want to keep.

If you only know Eugene Levy from the American Pie films, you will be pleasantly surprised with A Mighty Wind. I had no idea Eugene Levy could sing so well, or was capable of a serio-comic performance. I usually love his bit roles in films, and this one was way better than I expected. Aside from Levy, this is another of director Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, albeit an extremely good-natured and lighthearted one centered around a PBS folk-music concert. Guest is one of the few filmmakers who can make the mockumentary format work (aside from Woody Allen), and he leads a brilliant cast into a largely improvised framework that contains laughter and sentimentality.

I'm not a folk-music fan at all, but I enjoyed the music in the film a lot. It's pleasant rather than annoying and preachy.

I got a lot of enjoyment out of this movie, and basically agree with most of the other positive reviews on this site, but my main reason for posting this review is to highlight the hilarious "Children of the Sun" video which is one of the special features. This is a Folksmen tune that they released in 1968, from their "Saying Something" LP (where they broke their covenant with the fans by not apostrophyzing the album title.) This was when the true folk era was dying out and bands needed to make the transition to something just a little more psychedelic sounding. (Of course, this is all fictional...) But the video just had my whole family (teenage sons included) doubling over with laughter, with the primitive but "far out" video FX, the trippy-cheesy lyrics and the earnest delivery of the songs Transcendent Message. As a 7-year old kid in 1968, my consciousness was saturated with that stuff, as my parents were into Donovan, the Fifth Dimension, the soundtrack to "Hair" and all the other earnest performers out there singing similar Anthems of a New Generation. The whole disc is full of great amusing material, but "Children of the Sun" really did top it all off quite brilliantly.

I got a lot of enjoyment out of this movie, and basically agree with most of the other positive reviews on this site, but my main reason for posting this review is to highlight the hilarious "Children of the Sun" video which is one of the special features. This is a Folksmen tune that they released in 1968, from their "Saying Something" LP (where they broke their covenant with the fans by not hyphenating the album title.) This was when the true folk era was dying out and bands needed to make the transition to something just a little more psychedelic sounding. (Of course, this is all fictional...) But the video just had my whole family (teenage sons included) doubling over with laughter, with the primitive but "far out" video FX, the trippy-cheesy lyrics and the earnest delivery of the songs Transcendent Message. As a 7-year old kid in 1968, my consciousness was saturated with that stuff, as my parents were into Donovan, the Fifth Dimension, the soundtrack to "Hair" and all the other earnest performers out there singing similar Anthems of a New Generation. The whole disc is full of great amusing material, but "Children of the Sun" really did top it all off quite brilliantly.