Review of A Mighty Wind (2003) by Eric F — 14 Aug 2009

Christopher Guest's faux documentaries, more commonly referred to as mockumentaries, center on subcultures so bizarre to most of us that we're able to keep a distant and yet curious affection for them. His first writing credit in the genre he's defined was for "This is Spinal Tap", the cult classic directed by Rob Reiner, and since then he covered small-town theater in "Waiting for Guffman" and dog shows in "Best in Show". "A Mighty Wind", the fourth in his series of mockumentaries, centers around long-since-forgotten folk musicians who all reunite for a concert on public access television.

When a beloved music producer dies, his son, Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban), organizes a tribute show headlined by three of the most popular folk groups from the 60's. First is a trio known as The Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean & Harry Shearer), a one-hit wonder who reunite in a surprisingly tender moment. There is also The New Main Street Singers, a group of nine in an ever-shifting ensemble - most of the current members weren't alive when the band first gained it's notoriety (Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, and Parker Posey are among them). And finally, there is the headlining act, the darling couple known as Mitch (Eugene Levy) and Mickey (Catherine O'Hara). At one time their love captured the nation, but since a bad breakup Mitch has spent time in a mental hospital and Mickey has remarried.

The melodrama surrounding the reunion between Mitch and Mickey takes up a majority of the picture, but the humor is enough to keep things from getting "too" serious". Mitch's neuroticism is just absurd enough that it's more funny than depressing, and supporting characters like Mickey's husband retain the film's humor through their eccentricities.

The cast contains all of the familiar faces from Guest's previous films. Bob Balaban, who is typically not much more than the "straight man", shows off his comic ability as the paranoid emcee ("what are those for?" as he points at the lights), and Fred Willard once again steals the show as a former sitcom star with the catchphrase "Wha' Happened?". Parker Posey doesn't get much more than a glorified cameo, but her simple impossible perkiness garners quite a few chuckles.

Ranking Guest's films is a challenge, but the least I can say is that "A Mighty Wind" had me laughing as hard as any of them. It's got a bit more of a serious side, but the cast is so enormously talented that the drama is believable and never takes away from the comedy.