A Mighty Wind (2003) Movie Information:

A Mighty Wind (2003) Directed by: Christopher Guest A Mighty Wind (2003) Written by: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy A Mighty Wind (2003) Cast: Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Dooley, Christopher Guest, John Higgins, Donald Lake, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean

A Mighty Wind (2003) U.S. Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures A Mighty Wind (2003) U.K. Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

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A Mighty Wind (2003) Synopsis:

When folk icon Irving Steinbloom passed away, he left behind a legacy of music and a family of performers he has shepherded to folk stardom. To celebrate a life spent submerged in folk, Irving's loving son Jonathan has decided to put together a memorial concert featuring some of Steinbloom's best-loved musicians. There's Mitch and Mickey, who were the epitome of young love until their partnership was torn apart by heartbreak; classic troubadours The Folksmen, whose records were endlessly entertaining for anyone able to punch a hole in the center to play them; and The New Main Street Singers, the most meticulously color-coordinated "neuftet" ever to hit an amusement park. Now for one night only in New York City's Town Hall, these three groups will reunite and gather together to celebrate the music that almost made them famous.

A Mighty Wind (2003) Movie Review:

Director Christopher Guest and company are back with another hysterical mockumentary called "A Mighty Wind," and this time the spoofed subject is 60's folk music.

A mockumentary is more of less a fictional documentary film that pokes fun at a certain subject. In 1984, Guest and his co-writers/actors splashed onto the scene poking fun a heavy metal rock, under the direction of Rob Reiner, in "This Is Spinal Tap," which has been declared the film that conceived the mockumentary genre. Guest then kept the same cast/crew and continued making films of the genre. In 1997, there was "Waiting for Guffman," which looked into the realm of theater in a small town, and in 2000, there was "Best in Show," which looked into the world of dog shows. Now comes along "A Mighty Wind," which is a laugh-a-minute look into folk music.

Shot in the documentary style, the film follows many witty characters as they come together for a tribute concert for a legendary folk music producer named Irving Steinbloom. The film picks up following the death of Mr. Steinbloom and his son, Jonathan (Balban) deciding to get together his father's three most memorable 60's folk bands together for the concert which will take place at Carnegie Hall. There are The Folksmen, who are three aging musicians (Guest, Shearer, and McKean) that reflect to the audience their amusing days of distribution and releasing records that didn't have any holes in them. The New Main Street Singers are a blend of veteran and new folk musicians that nowadays get gigs on cruise lines and at theme parks. Finally, there is Mitch and Mickey, who were icons in the 60's like Sonny & Cher, but haven't spoken to one another in years due to a bad breakup. The audience follows these three groups and other minor parties on a comical journey to pay tribute to their legendary producer and the fans of folk music.
This film is just brilliant, it is so funny. I haven't laughed as much as I did through "A Mighty Wind," since "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." If the whole mockumentary concept isn't intriguing enough, it is an absolute treat to watch Guest, as well as the other cast members which include Michael McKean, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, and Fred Willard, interact and pull off scenes by mostly improvisation. Besides directing, producing, and acting in the film, Guest also co-wrote the screenplay with Eugene Levy, which is just a blueprint for the actors. "A Mighty Wind" is probably 70% or more improvised by its actors. I took a semester of acting improvisation in college and I am probably not the first to say it isn't easy. The acting ensemble also had great chemistry, in which most of them have work on all of Guest's previous films. It seems that the ensemble is a sort of a comradarie like "Saturday Night Live," and all can easily step into a new character or setting without missing a beat. Each know their surroundings, know how to deliver to the audience, and more than anything know their character as well as the other characters of the film.

The music is equally as important to the film's creditability and success. The folk songs where written by Guest, Levy, McKean, and other members of the cast. The songs themselves are believably constructed pieces from the characters that are singing them. Not since "O Brother, Where Art Thou" have I seen original music be so crucial to a film.

"A Mighty Wind" is a gem of a comedy and it is exactly what one would expect in a mockumentary from Christopher Guest. One aspect that is different from Guest's other three mockumentaries is the light drama between Levy and O'Hara's Mitch and Mickey, in which I thought it worked well.

Some audience members might not like the dry sense of humor that "A Mighty Wind" and past works by Guest inhabit. In my opinion, the style, content, originality, and execution of the films including "A Mighty Wind" are absolutely fantastic. The witty and obtuse characters, the enjoyable music, the constant laughs, and pure entertainment value are what make "A Mighty Wind" a delight to watch.

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A Mighty Wind (2003) review written by: Bailey Henderson