A Mighty Wind
A folk music reunion tour is the subject of Christopher Guest’s 2003 mockumentary A Mighty Wind. The usual suspects are along for the ride, of course, with Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Bob Balaban, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Paul Dooley, Ed Begley Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Michael McKean, and others in starring roles.
A Mighty Wind lives and dies by its subject, however, and in that respect it threatens to be an inaccessible comedy for many. There’s also a thread of sincerity here, as Guest makes his picture more about a love for folk music and the reunion concert that forms its climax and less about the pursuit of comedy. The results are uneven and largely uninteresting.
That’s not to say that there isn’t some truly funny stuff here, of course, but that comes as the result of vignettes and characters and not as the result of a cohesive narrative that drives the action. We follow three different folk groups as they head towards a reunion show organized by the son (Balaban) of an influential folk music producer. The various groups all have different misgivings and expectations, so it’s interesting to some degree to see what could happen.
At the end of it all, things are less than fulfilling. We are given a concert, in essence, that features the Folksmen (Shearer, Guest and McKean), the New Main Street Singers, and Mickey (O’Hara) and Mitch (Levy). The songs take on a life of their own and exist beyond the film, which is a both a hindrance and a delight.
A Mighty Wind is just too filled with fondness to invoke that much comedy. The characters are actually rather bland as a result and we’re made to get by on their musical prowess. Any interesting qualities, such as the troubled relationship between Mitch and Mickey, are almost treated in a soapish way and this damages Guest’s comic sense.
Great comedy just can’t be this, well, respectful. A Mighty Wind imposes sweetness on the audience, forcing the enjoyment of the picture to be extracted from the songs and the clapping and the hootin’ hoopla of the thing. The problem with this approach is that we’re almost left being too fond of the characters to be interested in where they wind up. The set up exudes this sort of “what could happen?” style energy, but Guest goes nowhere with it and leaves us in the lurch.
Unfortunately, A Mighty Wind is a disappointment. It lacks the snap of Guest’s This is Spinal Tap and the eviscerating glee of Best in Show. The characters never exceed the boundaries of their interests and are left as mere folk performers, producing a sort of one-dimensional effect that makes them vehicles for the enjoyable songs they play at the reunion show.
This film may offer good entertainment to those seeking out some vintage folk fun from a few “fake” folk groups, but it doesn’t make the cut in terms of providing great comedy. It’s too bad, too, as I really did enjoy the recent For Your Consideration.
Trailer:
