Review

Review Date: 11-May-03
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

A Mighty Wind (2003)

You have to hand it to Christopher Guest. In a business that smiles upon the young, gorgeous, and scandalous, he has quietly managed to keep a career going for many years by virtue of his humor and multifaceted talent: not only is he a successful writer, actor, and director, but his musical gifts have been featured on some extremely diverse albums (growing out of his films), and his name has become synonymous with the "mockumentary" style he helped to create in the classic "This Is Spinal Tap." He has consistently delved into the heart of America, finding warmth and comedy in very particular microcosms that are only slightly wackier than the rest of the world, places like the small Midwestern town in "Waiting for Guffman" and the intensely competitive dog show in "Best in Show." With this history, it is no surprise to see Guest and his regular troupe of actors taking on 1960s folk singers, a theme which would appear to be right up their alley. But although "A Mighty Wind" focuses on a very unique culture rife with opportunities for humor and insight, it fails to build up a real sense of community in the way the other movies did. "A Mighty Wind" offers a number of laughs, but it feels a little facile and unfinished, and therefore doesn't fully satisfy.

The real star of the picture is the music, which is quite infectious and impressively delivered, considering that all of the actors sing their own songs and pick their own banjoes (and that Guest & Co. wrote most of it, too). Set in modern day, "A Mighty Wind" follows three folk groups as they prepare for a memorial concert following the death of their old record producer. One is a trio, The Folksmen (Guest and Spinal Tap bandmates Michael McKean and Harry Shearer); one is a large ensemble, The New Main Street Singers (led by John Michael Higgins and Jane Lynch); and one is a duo, Mitch and Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara), who have not seen each other since a painful breakup years and years ago. Each group has its own kitschy style, of which we get a good view during rehearsals, but they all gel quite nicely on stage (and, I imagine, on the movie's soundtrack.)

While Mitch and Mickey's unresolved relationship forms a decent heart of the story, it doesn't fill up the holes in the rest of the tale (and, to be honest, Levy's take on the troubled Mitch is more off-putting than funny or sad). The richness of Guest's earlier films grew out of getting inside the little world he was highlighting and becoming acquainted with its inhabitants, but a lot of the entertainment here is standard, one-note comedic fare. (Examples: Fred Willard's rehash of his obnoxious "Best in Show" character; the shallow PR people; the completely irrelevant sex change at the end.) What was up with The Folksmen, back in the day or since? How about some of the New Main Street Singers other than the outrageous husband-and-wife team? Why are the deceased producer's kids (including the show's organizer, played by Bob Balaban) so estranged? There just isn't enough meat to these characters' bones and, consequently, to the movie as a whole.

I could have gone to see "Daddy Day Care" this weekend, so obviously all criticism is relative. But although a lot more thought, affection, and talent went into "A Mighty Wind" than most movies made today, Guest himself has set the high standard for mockumentary films, and this time around he doesn't entirely measure up.

Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.