A Mighty Wind

It's of course hilarious, but it's also his only mockumentary with real heart, and boy does it work. O'Hara and Levy lean on their decades of natural chemistry to make their post-romance relationship both gut-bustingly funny and sensibly sad. All three of the groups are uniquely perfect, and their musical performances are inspired. And if anyone wonders what made Fred Willard so beloved, just watch his tour de force introduction in this movie...it's everything.

Some felt that this was too close to reality to be considered a parody, but I thought it was beautifully done - made fun of the cloying smugness of some "folkies", but mixed it with genuine pathos. I have a feeling Eugene Levy may have lost a couple of friends to bad acid trips - his portrayal was hilarious, but not cruel. Christopher Guest continues to amaze me with his light touch; most comedies put people in bad situations and make them squirm their way through; instead Guest takes apparently mediocre characters and puts them in situations that stretch their personalities.

Contains the single funniest comment I've ever heard about model trains.

Suggested double feature: This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, or Bob Roberts

An excellent entertainment, though very different from this ensemble's other pseudo-documentary efforts (Spinal Tap, Best in Show).

Incredibly creative. I'm a fan of folk music and this film really nails the eclectic backgrounds of folk musicians, right down to the distinctive vocalizations, multi-line harmonies and excessive enthusiasm. I was so impressed that all the parodied songs were written and performed (well) by the actors and I now covet the sound track. Get ready for a lot of subtle humor and story lines and enjoy the send-up.

Another in a long list of films that have been recommended to me, `A Mighty Wind' was probably one of the funniest films I've seen this century. The mockumentary style of `This is Spinal Tap' has always been a favorite of mine, and this film, about the reunion of three folk groups after the death of the owner of their former record label is absolutely hilarious. Christopher Guest's usual cast is involved, though Eugene Levy and Harry Shearer stood out for me personally. (Although every time Shearer's character spoke I couldn't get the image of Principal Skinner from `The Simpsons' out of my head.)

Anyone with either an absurdist or dry sense of humor will find this movie funny. Speaking for myself, I rarely laugh out loud when watching films by myself at home and I was in tears from having fits of laughter throughout most of the film. The writing is above brilliant, and the acting and timing are dead on. I haven't seen the other two `recent' films that proceeded this one, `Best in Show' and `Waiting for Guffman', but after seeing `A Mighty Wind' I will definitely check them out in the very near future.

--Shelly

We have a duo, a trio, and a group of 9. These three fictitious 'folk' groups from the 60s reunite for a concert in this mockumentary. What makes it so interesting is (1) I was a young adult in the 60s and vividly remember the folk group wave and (2) Guest, Levy and the others do their own singing and playing of songs they wrote for the movie. I think its IMDb ratings which cluster around 7 and 8 are about right. Not everyone will like 'A Mighty Wind' (song from final concert), it has improvised humor and many of the same actors from 'Best in Show'. But for fans of the humor of Guest and Levy it is a very nice little movie. The DVD has interesting extras, and the commentary track by Guest and Levy discuss how, for example, Levy had to take lessons to get is guitar skills back, and how O'Hara learned to play the autoharp for this role.

The movie is 92 minutes long, which includes the 7 minutes of end credits. Of the 85 minutes of actual movie, the first 60 sets up the characters and groups, shows them in rehearsals, covers several back stories, then the final 25 minutes are the concert itself, actually performed before a live audience. There were a few truly outstanding folk groups in the 1960s, but there also were a whole bunch of mediocre ones. The three groups featured in this movie are as good as many of the 1960s groups that actually made a living entertaining. And, as at least one critic said, that's part of the problem with 'A Mighty Wind' - the groups are good enough, and the final concert is real enough, that much of the impact of the humor went away during the last act. The lampooning was gone, replaced by a legitimate set of performances.

Still, I found it thoroughly enjoyable, and my favorite of the 'Guest/Levy' movies.