A Mighty Wind
If “This Is Spinal Tap” was the first shot fired, and “Waiting For Guffman” and “Best In Show” were the successful templates for the formula, “A Mighty Wind” represents a comfortable ride on this ’mockumentary” blueprint. It isn’t groundbreaking material anymore, but for fans of the Christopher Guest troupe of performers and filmmakers, this picture is like spending time with old friends.
When a founding folk music producer from the 50s and 60s suddenly dies, his family (including Bob Balaban and Don Lake) decides to put on a memorial concert featuring the acts that made him such a legend in the genre. Agreeing to return to the stage are the Folksmen (Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean), The New Main Street Singers (including Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, and Jane Lynch), and folk legends Mitch & Marty (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara). “A Mighty Wind” details the troubles of arranging the concert, from the questionable knowledge of the promoters to problems with the rehearsals and the zoned out, post-folkie movement mindset of some of the more burned-out participants in the show.
“Best In Show” took director Christopher Guest’s small little slices of improvisational comedy to the next level, rewarding him with a huge audience and some sizable box office for such a small release. Expectations are much higher this go around for Guest, and “A Mighty Wind” suffers for that very reason. Taken on its own, this is a softly funny, but gentle send up of the folk scene that has long since been relegated to state fairs and public radio. But placed in the context of expectations, one cannot help but feel “Wind” could’ve blown a lot harder.
The laughs are plentiful, provided by a cast that knows each other all too well by now. It’s thrilling to see a form of Spinal Tap back up onscreen again, albeit in the guise of aging folkies who want to relive a dead dream. McKean, Shearer, and Guest have always worked brilliantly together, and seeing them is like watching a well-oiled machine. Ed Begley Jr. has some fun as a public television executive who is an all-out Swede, but slips Yiddish phrases in with his daily conversation. And “Best In Show” highlight John Michael Higgins has his moments with co-star Jane Lynch as the husband and wife team behind the New Main Street Singers.
Of course, the rocket to the comedy moon is provided by Fred Willard. In the small role of the New Main Street Singers' manager, Willard livens up the proceedings up with his rainbow delivery and total commitment to even the limpest of gags. Guest uses Willard as a secret weapon, launching him at very specific points during the film when the comedy begins to sag. The man is a laugh riot.
“Wind” is less impressive when it comes to the more central characters, notably the Mitch and Marty duo. Eugene Levy affects a strange cadence and body movement to portray the mentally impaired folkie Mitch, and his performance doesn’t bring the laughs as much as it should. The same goes for a pair of moments showcasing the cult behind the New Main Street Singers, which uses colors as the basis of its religion. This little aside is strange, even for a comedy this broad, and the picture would’ve been better served if it had ended up on the cutting room floor.
“A Mighty Wind” is an easy crowd pleaser, filled with wonderful, if silly, parodies of folk music from the era. This isn’t Guest’s best film to date, and there will be many disappointed, but few who weren’t truly entertained.
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