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:

Christopher Guest is turning into a one-man mockumentary factory, after starring in Spinal Tap then directing Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and now this gem, which returns to music to both make fun of and pay homage to 1960s folk music. In the film, Jonathan Steinbloom (Balaban) is setting up a huge reunion concert in memory of his folk music promoter father. And he scores a coup when he gets three top groups to appear on stage: The New Main Street Singers may all be replacements (only Dooley remains from the original line-up), but with a leader like Terry (Higgins) and a manager like Mike (Willard) they're as perky and annoyingly harmonic as ever! The Folksmen (Guest, McKean and Shearer, aka Spinal Tap) were never as big as they should have been, but are happy to get back on stage to perform their one hit. And it's going to take a minor miracle for Mitch & Mickey (Levy and O'Hara) to reunite, since their bitter split nearly 30 years ago ... and their trademark song includes a tender kiss.

From Levy and Guest's script outline, this fantastic ensemble improvises their characters brilliantly as ever. This film is more purely in a documentary style than Best in Show, and it plays completely straight. The humour is very dry, only occasionally absurd, and always extremely close to the bone as it both ridicules and eulogises a type of music that's often laughably silly. Guest weaves in home movies and record cover art that are so authentic they hurt! And the cast add telling details--hilarious bits of comedy that hit the target with deadly glee. Standouts include Lynch's clean-cut Singer, completely unashamed of her porn star past or her loony cult present; Coolidge's deliriously dim euro-pudding PR agent; Willard's has-been TV star moron; and of course the divine trio of McKean, Guest and Shearer, who should by law be required to make a movie together every year. And there are two big surprises: First, the music is extremely well-written and performed by the cast, complete with insanely complex folk arrangements--all of which really spring to life during the concert at the end, which they really performed live before an audience! And second, the film has a surprising emotional resonance in Mitch & Mickey's story, played to perfection by Levy and O'Hara in such a way that it's always both hilarious and moving. Inspired.

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A Mighty Wind (2003) review written by: Rich Cline