Advertisement |
Overall Rating
 Awesome: 32.54%
Worth A Look: 40.48%
Average: 20.63%
Pretty Bad: 2.38%
Total Crap: 3.97%
11 reviews, 60 user ratings
|
|
Mighty Wind, A |
by PyThomas
"This sure as hell AIN'T Spinal Tap."

|
Christopher Guest seems to have gotten the "mockumentary" thing down pretty good.Building on his last two critically acclaimed offerings, "Waiting For Guffman" and "Best Of Show", respectively skewering community theater and dog shows, this time Guest aims his unique wit at the folk music scene. And he brings along his old friends from those other two films... Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Catherine O'Hara and Mary Gross. And in a genius move, he once more reunites the Spinal Tap alumni (himself, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer)... only this time, they're a folk trio called The Folksmen.
The "plot verite" centers around the company started by Irving Steinbloom, whose three biggest artists were the hepcat Folksmen, the more sugar-coated Main Street Singers and lovey-dovey duo Mitch and Mickey. Well, the Folksmen went their separate ways, the Main Street Singers' members came and went until only one original member remains in the New Main Street Singers (managed by Willard's Mike LaFontaine), and Mitch and Mickey (Levy & O'Hara) split up bitterly, with Mitch eventually landing in a mental institution. It's up to Irving's heir to the Steinbloom empire, Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban), to get everybody back together for a reunion show to be broadcast on a public television station. But will they be able to pull off the show without incident? And will perfectionist-type Jonathan Steinbloom lose his mind in the process?
If you're a fan of Christopher Guest's work, you'll love every bit of "A Mighty Wind". His attention to detail in designing the album covers, crafting the sixties folk sound and showcasing his cast members in different years is evident in the film's almost-flawless presentation. If there's any flaw, it's that you'll wish the film lasted a bit longer. Everyone involved carries off their respective roles impeccably.If you're NOT a fan, well, this film will probably be only mildly amusing to you. And you'll wonder what the hell he's doing with folk music just like you wondered what the hell he was doing with dog shows. Guest's films are an acquired taste, for sure. But even if "mockumentaries" aren't your thing, you gotta hand it to him for having a realistic flair for stuff like this.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=7217&reviewer=9 originally posted: 06/16/03 12:16:54
printer-friendly format
|
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 SXSW Film Festival. For more in the 2003 South By Southwest Film Festival series, click here.
|
 |
USA 16-Apr-2003 (PG-13) DVD: 23-Sep-2003
UK N/A
Australia 24-Jul-2003
|
|