Christopher Guest follows up his acclaimed ensemble comedies Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman with a docu-comedy about three folk groups from the 60s who reunite for a memorial concert in New York City following the death of a legendary folk manager.
Christopher Guest follows up his hilarious mockumentary BEST IN SHOW with this parody of the folk music industry. Three well-known folk groups come together for a reunion concert in New York City, singing brilliantly funny songs and producing uniquely bizarre laughs along the way. The Folksmen are an all-male trio consisting of an upright bass, a banjo, a guitar, and a whole lot of melody. Hilarious scenes of the group rehearsing casually in the kitchen, while reflecting on bygone days, are some of the most candidly funny moments in the film. Fake archival photos of the band, combined with the names of their hit songs--"Hitchin'", Singin'", "Ramblin'", "Wishin'", and "Pickin'"--generate wonderfully dry jokes. When not peering in on the Folksmen, the film spends time getting to know Mitch and Mickey, a popular duo and a great folk love story. Mitch and Mickey talk openly about the emotional torment of their breakup, though it is clearly difficult for them. However, back together again, they manage to rehearse--and perform--their famous love song that requires a dramatic kiss in the middle. Last but not least are The New Main Street Singers, a raucous group of nine--a neuftette--that wear matching outfits and sing upbeat songs. Some of the more bizarre personalities in the film come out of this group, bringing a tone to this folk odyssey that recalls moments from Guest's BEST IN SHOW and WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. A hollerin' good time, A MIGHTY WIND is yet another comic masterpiece from Guest, whose films resonate with viewers long after they're through, and easily lend themselves to repeat viewings.
Theatrical Release Date: April 16, 2003 (Limited)
Mighty Wind Reviews:
"...Hilarious..."
-- David Templeton, Movieline's Hollywood Life
"[T]he filmmakers have an obvious knowledge of and affection for the music, creating a rich game of reference-spotting for the folk cognoscenti."
-- John Innes, Sight and Sound
"Affectionate, often very funny....[With] typically irresistible performances."
-- Allan Jones, Uncut
"...The music may be perfectly awful -- actually it is both perfect and awful -- but its power, this movie suggest is nothing to laugh at. Or so you might realize, if you could only stop laughing long enough to form the thought..."
-- A. O. Scott, New York Times
"...The satire is so deadpan that you sometimes have to pinch yourself to realize how dead-on it is....The unmatchable Fred Willard tears it up..."
-- Mike Clark, USA Today
"...A gift from comedy heaven..."
-- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...The gifted repertory company again creates an amusing gallery of incisively observed characters, riffing off each other with enjoyment levels that frequently prove contagious..."
-- David Rooney, Variety
"...[A] sublime, dizzying satire of American folk music....A movie that re-creates its object of satire with such pitch perfect flair that all but erases the line between derision and love..."
-- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...There is plenty of top-flight comedy in this brisk picture..."-- Glenn Kenny, Premiere
...[With] the same blend of serious musicality and unabashed silliness that the trio injected into their metal tunes for THIS IS SPINAL TAP, gently ribbing their chosen musical form even as they pay it loving homage..."
-- Wade Major, Box Office
"...Few filmmakers today can show us our most ridiculous selves with as much merciless wit and tender mercy..."
-- Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times
Customer Mighty Wind Reviews Customer Mighty Wind DVD Reviews
Average Rating: (3 out of 5 stars)
Folkin' good! After watching the brilliant 'Best In Show', I became a fan of the people that worked on that and so have been waiting for further instalments. As I also quite like some folk music, I was thrilled to see this film coming out. Although the release was put back indefinately here in the UK, I managed to get hold of it through this website and it was with much anticipation that I waited for its delivery.
Basically, it is a very good film. The characters are all well played and portrayed, although, if I have to be honest, Eugene Levy's voicing of Mitch is a little annoying. The best character for me is the old, mad in the head failed TV and radio star! He cracked me up!
The music is great all the way through and I think the soundtrack would be a good purchase. The songs are good in their own right.
I have to say though, that it isn't quite as funny as I thought it would be overall. 'Best In Show' is superb; this doesn't quite get that good....although the story as a whole is still a nice one and the film is worth buying. Submitted by davygravy67 (Dorset, England) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 1 found this helpful.
disappointing better off just watching waiting for guffman and best in show again wheres the humour gone? Submitted by a reviewer (Melbourne, Australia) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 0 of 2 found this helpful.
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Mighty Wind DVD
Mighty Wind DVD Features
Region 1 Snap Case Dual Side - Dual Layer Widescreen - 1.85 Audio: Dolby Surround 5.1 - English, French (Quebec) Additional Release Material: 15 Additional Scenes Audio Commentary: Christopher Guest - Director/Writer/Star, Eugene Levy - Star Live TV Broadcast of the Climactic Benefit Concert In Its Entirety TV Appearances by The Folksmen & Mitch & Mickey Interactive Features: Easter Eggs Text/Photo Galleries: Discographies Album Art Biographies of The Folksmen, The New Main Street Singers, Mitch & Mickey Lyrics
Folkin' good!
disappointing
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