saintpap

A Mighty Wind is a wonderful movie that is marred by one thing - the expectation of its audience. I can see how it happened. It's another Guest/Levy film carried in a documentary format. McKean, Shearer and Guest are musically reunited as The Folksmen, so you'd be forgiven for expecting something akin to Spinal Tap. If you want to watch Spinal Tap, go watch it. Expect to see it in A Mighty Wind, and you're going to be disappointed. This is not Spinal Tap. It's a more mature and emotional offering that ultimately, is so much more fulfilling.

A Mighty Wind can be disarmingly familiar. It features the same ensemble casts from Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show. Subtle humour reigns supreme, although there are some genuine belly laughs in there too ( Mitch's album covers are a particular delight ). Someone appropriately, the heart of the movie is a story of unfulfilled love and the directions people are prepared to move after losing a soulmate.

One of the best things that the improvisational style seems to produce is a certain amount of interpretation. Some jokes go much deeper than you originally give them credit for. Guest's trust in his players pays huge dividends. Improvisational comedy is a huge risk unless your actors really know their characters. In this case, they really do.

The music is handled masterfully throughout. During the setup, its treated with the sort of disdain accorded to a novelty single. The real shock is that by the movie's conclusion, these same targets for parody become as valid as anything you've ever heard. The final two songs at the folk reunion bring tears to my eyes every time, but in that good way, y'know.

There are some problems with the movie. Some of the jokes seem a little improbable ( the post-concert followup seeming the least credible ) - as if they were tagged on when to accommodate those expecting another Tap. Thing is, this is a different movie and step forward for the Levy and Guest writing partnership. Step forward with them, and you'll love it.

I went to see this movie with reasonably high hopes. The trailer looked good, and gave nothing away, which for me, is always a good reason to watch a movie.

I was very disappointed. Whilst the film manages to build up a palpable amount of tension in the first thirty minutes, it just descends into comedy after that.

As a Buffy fan, I can honestly say I've seen scarier stuff in that show than I observed in this movie. The two lead characters make all the basic horror movie mistakes, and the plot is entirely predictable. The big licence plate mystery is totally transparent, and the film just fell apart the further it continued.

I went to see this film on the opening night in the UK, and I can honestly say that if the cinema wasn't crowded, or if I wasn't in the middle of a row, I would have walked out after 45 minutes. It was that poor. Don't waste your money on this.

I've been more scared during a Disney film...

I must admit, the cast drew me to this particular film. I'm a great fan of John Cusack, am perpetually in love with the delectable Julia Roberts, have to support the relatively local Catherine Zeta-Jones and have also enjoyed Billy Crystal in everything I've seen him in.

It was a pleasant surprise then, to find that my attendance was not in vain. The film is a charming and witty romantic comedy, and uses its cast to great effect.

Cusack and Zeta-Jones play Eddie Thomas and Gwen Harrison, the estranged darling couple of Hollywood. After eighteen months separation, the pair are forced to promote their final film together at a press junket in the Nevada desert.

A much less glamourous Roberts plays Kiki Harrison, the long-suffering publicist and sister of Harrison ( Zeta-Jones ). Crystal assumes the role of Lee Phillips, the double dealing but consistently likeable media whore that handles Thomas's publicity.

A word on the cast then. Cusack is superb. His neurotic portrayal of a man emerging from emotional wreckage is both amusing and inspiring, leaving the viewer with the sure and certain knowledge that this kid's gonna make it. His interplay with Crystal's character is excellent too, being very stop-start in its delivery. Cusack becomes more charismatic as the films rolls on, and makes a great leading man.

Zeta-Jones plays the Hollywood prima donna with great effect. She doesn't play a likeable character, but regardless of whether the audience like her, she undoubtedly commands a modicum of respect.

Billy Crystal pulls off perhaps the performance of the film, portraying someone who wants the film to succeed at almost any cost (including the reputations of its protagonists ), but at the same time shows remarkable fondness for his Hollywood charges.

Julia Roberts shines as her role, showing a great deal of vulnerability and inner strength as Kiki. Her relationship with the other characters seems genuine and heartfelt, and once again, she had me falling in love with another of her characters. Amazingly, she does actually do dowdy for much of the film, which given her natural attributes, is quite remarkable. She always manages to come second best in exterior beauty to Zeta-Jones, something both her and the rest of the crew should feel proud of.

Seth Green puts in a good supporting performance as Phillip's green apprentice, and a lot of the humour involves Crystal's character slowly eroding Green's ethics. Christopher Walken also makes an appearance as Hal Weidmann, the maverick film director who's taken total responsibility for the editing. Special mention should also go to Hank Azaria, who plays Harrison's Spanish love bunny Hector - who provides a ridiculously comic Iberian accent throughout whilst personifying south European machismo. Finally, Stanley Tucci plays the desperate, ruthless studio boss who'd happily see his stars commit suicide if it made the film a hit.

Much will probably be made of the supposed parallels between this movie and the real life breakup of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, simply for timing reasons. Forget about all of that - this movie is a charming, cynical comedy that deserves to succeed on its own merits. The parallels aren't nearly as pronounced as those in Primary Colors; in fact the only real parallel is that two very famous people are breaking up.

Go and see this movie. It's funny, intelligent and most importantly, you'll leave the cinema feeling like you've just met that special someone. Now for a romantic comedy, that really covers the bases!