A Mighty Wind

reviewed by Dave

I've been a big fan of Christopher Guest and his ensemble casts since I saw Waiting for Guffman years ago. His formula was refined and given an obviously larger budget for his follow-up film, Best in Show. It wasn't until after seeing that one that we rented the legendary Spinal Tap, which I thought was humorous, but ultimately disappointing compared to his more recent work.

In A Mighty Wind, Guest turns his focus to folk music. Those unfamiliar with his work should know that Guest's films are mockumentaries that usually have easily described plots - this time, a notable folk music producer has died so his family decides to organize a tribute concert in his honor that will feature the reunion of the three biggest acts he
produced.

But as anyone who has seen his films knows, the plot isn't the point. Instead, his films are all about the cast and the characters they create. Most of his movies don't even really have scripts, leaving the actors free to improvise.

Guest's films are populated with, for the most part, all the same actors, but while his previous two films were filled with a large group of interesting characters, here there's really only two or three.

Eugene Levy's character once again proves to be the one we care most about, though this time it's not so much that he steals the show as that the show just lands in his arms for him to carry. Mitch (Levy) forms one half of the famous folk duo, Mitch and Micky (Catherine O'Hara). They used to be the poster kids for everything folk music stood for, but then they split up and went their separate ways. Micky married. We don't really know what Mitch was up to, but he certainly seems worse the wear.

Two other groups are also getting together for the big reunion show. While there are some funny moments with these other two acts, there isn't really much drama here. Everyone pretty much gets along okay. Some of them are a little quirky, some downright strange, but there isn't much to their stories.

Instead, what becomes the defining moment of the film is Mitch and Micky performing a signature song where they always used to kiss near the end. As the other performers backstage realize what song the two are singing, they gather around the side of the stage to see if Mitch and Micky will kiss. It's a moment filled with surprising warmth and heart. This scene, more than any of the jokes, is what the movie is all about.

That helps and hurts the film. Guest could have taken the folk music scene and skewered it, but instead he presents more of a tribute to it. It's handled in such a way that the movie still comes together just fine, but if you're expecting something as funny as his last two films, you'll find A Mighty Wind's sense of humor to be a little too gentle.