A Mighty Wind Review
by Karina Montgomery (karina AT cinerina DOT com)April 21st, 2003
Mighty Wind, A
Matinee & snacks
Did you love Best in Show or Waiting for Guffman? If so, then go see A Mighty Wind, there is nothing I need further to tell you. Directed by Christopher Guest and written by Guest and Eugene Levy (as much as a wholly improvised movie is written), Wind is again a character-driven comedy piece/mockmentary that makes you think and feel more than laugh, but it satisfies. This time, the embarrassingly talented cast of the usual Guest crowd are playing grown up 60's folksingers (or a new band of overjazzed fans of same) who are being brought together to honor the recently departed Irving Steinbloom. Steinbloom, a fictional folk music pioneer, is survived by three bickering children, one of whom (Bob Balaban) is organizing the event, and everyone else in the film is in a band.
I have to say something about the three siblings. They have a scene on a couch together which was simply one of the best pieces of improv I have seen in a while. I believed they were siblings, with history, they were funny and played off each other so effortlessly, and drove the plot along with so much natural but condensed information, I have to applaud them: Balaban, Stuart Luce and Deborah Theaker.
Best of all is the sheer rapture of getting to see Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer (you know, Spinal Tap) together on screen again, playing together verbally and musically. Just to bask in the glory of this trio really is worth the price of admission for me. Guest pulls out his folksinger character from his National Lampoon days and they all of course have new music written for the occasion (again also with CJ Vanston).
The other two groups are creepy Disneyfied The New Main Street Singers, and ex true-love poster children Mitch & Mickey. The album art is a hoot. Everyone is simply perfect in their roles, though Levy's Mitch is possibly the least excusably cartoonish when next to the sublimely sincere Mickey (Catherine O'Hara). We've got lots of songs, in very diverse styles between the three groups, which also makes for its own, subtler comedy, and plenty of warm smiley moments as well. By the end, you feel the history of these people as acutely as if it were a true story. Well done, all. It's the strongest "script" since Spinal Tap, in terms of arc and content.
While A Mighty Wind has fewer out and out jokes or laughs than Best in Show or Guffman, it has equally well drawn characters and a vastly more effective and satisfying story arc. This makes a huge different not to have all that improv talent spun out into nothing. I'm not saying it's not funny, but it's more comedy of relations rather than set up and yuk yuk yuk. That dubious honor goes to a totally wacked out Fred Willard, who, as always, is loveable as pie.
A Mighty Wind is simply sweet and believable, completely engaging, and well worth seeing.
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These reviews (c) 2003 Karina Montgomery. Please feel free to forward but just credit the reviewer in the text. Thanks.
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