Rating: 
Summary: A Mighty Fine Film
Review: I had never seen a mockumentary until this film. My sister said she saw "This is Spinal Tap" for one of her music classes and she said she nearly died laughing. I like satirical, underlying humour so I thought this movie would be perfect for my taste. I must admit I absolutely loved it. It's definately not a "smack in the face funny" but moreso "I sprained my ankle and I don't feel anything yet" funny. It's so satirical and so brilliant that it as though I was watching a real documentary on PBS. All of it is subtle and underlying especially the Bohner's interview where we find out Mrs. Bohner was a porn star.
Since the plot has already been given, I thought I would say what stole the movie for me. All of the actors were terrific and the stories were wonderful, but the best parts were with Mitch and Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara). They are a divorced duo who were very famous in the sixties (loved the album covers) who then broke up and Mickey married a 'salesman' who is obsessed with trains and 'catheters' while Mitch was committed. Both are so funny with the subtle things they do (i.e. Catherine O'Hara's great accent), but the part that was the best (and made me cry) was when they sang "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" and Mitch does not know whether or not to kiss Mickey. The way they look at each other and then the kiss made me cry because they truly love each other. With this story it's so sweet, yet real and the two actors deserved Oscar nods for such brilliant performances.
I won't spoil it anymore, but if you like completely crazy humour and PBS you'll love this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Wha' Happened?
Review: I heard so many postive comments and Christopher Guest's new mockumentary "A Mighty Wind", that I was shocked when I found out that I hated this movie. It was one of the worst movies of 2003, and I thought that it was painfully unfunny. The movie had a cast that seemed to be of comedic genius, but they all tried to hard to be funny. The biggest disappointment was Eugene Levy, who was great in "Bringing Down the House," but he did not have a great comedic preformance in "A Mighty Wind." The director Christopher Guest, directed two other mocumentaries, the first being "Waiting for Guffman" which I havn't seen, and the second being "Best in Show," another film which I hated to the point where I couldn't even watch the end of it. I'm guessing that I just don't like the way that he writes, and the way the cast plays off on each other, as the cast is about the same in all three of these movies. "A Mighty Wind" has a story, and it could be a funny story, but the jokes ruin it. It starts where we learn that folk music icon Irwin Steinbloom has died, and his son Jonathan decides to put on a tribute concert for him. To do so, he decides to convince all of the musicians that his father worked with to preform. Easier said than done. The bands are "The Folksman" which consist of Mark, Jerry, and Alan, and The New Main Street Singers which consists of Laurie, Terry, and many others. The final band is a duo called "Mitch and Micky" which consist of, well Mitch and Micky. The real problems come from Mitch and Micky, and neither of them really want to work with each other again, although they were a big hit once upon a time. They all try to get ready for the big concert, and it does everything but go off without a hitch. "A Mighty Wind" was the worst movie of 2003, untill I saw "House of the Dead." Many people loved it, but it must be just that I don't like this type of comedy. Most of the movie is improv. The director gave each actor or actress a rundown of what their character is like, and they make up most of the jokes. But the problem is that the movie does not work. The actors and actresses don't play off of each other well, and it is sadly, unfunny, and dry. I didn't like it, but you might. ENJOY! Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor.
Rating:
Summary: A Mighty Wind's a blowin/cross the land and cross the sea
Review: Many fine movies were nominated for the 2004 Oscars, but this film, appropriately included in many critic's top ten lists will be the first of that pile on constant rotation on my DVD player. Christopher Guest is the undisputed king of the mockumentary and he plucks a fine banjo to boot. This is a wonderful film that will remind you, even if you are not a folk music enthusiast, of the nostalgia you feel when being transported to a time when life was simpler, the music was softer and the laughs came easier. Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy always bring me to tears with their rendition of the Oscar nominated "Kiss at the End of the Rainbow". Well for me, after a season of very sad and introspective films, this film was my "kiss at the end of the rainbow/more precious than a pot of gold."
Rating: 
Summary: A mighty weird experience
Review: THE latest mockumentary to emerge from the benignly warped mind of Christopher Guest embraces the popular world of folk music. When a legendary folk-music entrepreneur dies, his son decides to celebrate his life with a hastily assembled tribute concert.
The intervening decades, however, have not proved kind to the three acts he is after. The nine members of The New Main Street Singers are on the cruise-ship circuit; the three members of The Folksmen haven't played together for years; and Mitch and Mickey (the Sonny and Cher of folk) haven't spoken since their professional divorce and Mitch's subsequent committal.
There is a deep ambiguity to Guest's purpose here: either he is a closet folk aficionado or he is a very sick puppy indeed. Given the care and attention paid to the songs (and their performances), it is unclear whether we are witnessing sophisticated and good-natured pastiche, or subtle and sadistic parody. The underlying sadness of many of the characters, especially Mitch (Eugene Levy), who comes across as the folk equivalent of Brian Wilson, acts as a counterweight to the levity brought to bear by characters such as Laurie Bohner (Jane Lynch), the former porn-starturned-Main- Street-Singer.
The tone is closer to Woody Allen's faux documentary, Sweet and Lowdown, than Guest's previous films (This Is Spinal Tap and Best in Show), and has similar reserves of nostalgia for a bygone musical era.
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER MASTERPIECE...brilliant and touching
Review: Another brilliant masterpiece that is extremely clever, funny and touching. Fashioned in the same manor as BEST IN SHOW and THIS IS SPINAL TAP(brilliant movies, too). I was a little reluctant about this, I guess it's because of the FOLK MUSIC theme. I thought it might just be a little on the stupid side or maybe it'd be too boring. But because of the other masterpieces I figured it had to be good. I must admit, after watching it, I found myself purchasing the CD. It's definately NOT a BORING movie. Great acting. I love how the same actors, of the forementioned movies, can play such differant characters. They're all very talented. Not to mention they're very good singers and they can really play those instruments.
GREAT JOB, 2 thumbs up and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: "I've Never Been In Better Headspace!"
Review: I will leave the synopsis to others; read those on another review. I just want to make a few points and then leave. First, I doubt I would have gotten into this movie, had not my family of origin been quoting it so much over Thanksgiving 2003. They found it hilarious, and well, I share my family's humor, and took a look Admittedly, it went over my head. I'm the kind of guy that, while good at what he does (Biblical scholar, grad student), is known more for his expansive vocabulary than his awareness of anything with subtlety. That said, "A Mighty Wind" went right over my head; had no one warned me it was funny (AND a movie), and had I been merely flipping through channels, I would have watched it and gone on, never having realized what it really was. Okay, at least until I recognized Eugene Levy, anyway. That said, the movie was great. I agree with many other reviewers: more subtle, gentler, quirky but not over-the-top. I still don't understand why my family was roaring over it, but hey, I'm not them, right? I suppose the biggest reason I like this movie is because I love deadpan humor, and there was an abundance of it here. Not wacky deadpan, like "Airplane!" ("I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"), which made it harder. Even the commentary track had quite a bit of this! I guess it really came together for me after (1) watching it in its entirety, and (2) listening to the commentary, and finally, (3) watching it once more. Again, I'll be honest here. I generally don't like subtlety. I don't like to work at my relaxation. As such, I would not have picked this movie on my own. However, I am glad I was enticed into it, and have my own copy now. I watch it regularly, for I find it has great repeat value. Aside from repeat value, I would add one thing: EXCELLENT extras. Not showy "look how great we are" extras, but the type of additions a fan would enjoy. The TV special of the end-show, the deleted scenes, and the commentaries ...they all work well together. I miss a traditional "making of" featurette, but I'm happy with what there is.
Rating:
Summary: A Mighty Fine Film
Review: A MIGHTY WIND is a marvelous little film which chronicles the reunion of a number of folk-rock acts which never were. Christoper Guest as at his best, topping even previous efforts such as "Best in Show" and others. The plot is simple: former folk-rock act manager agent passes away and his family reunites several acts in a special reunion to honor his memory. The movie captures the look and feel of a PBS pledge week special and the musical numbers are incredibly realistic -- you'd swear that you actually saw these acts in concert a few decades or so ago. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, SCTV veterans, are particularly effective as Mitch and Micky - two folk-rockers once in blissful love, but now living separate obscure lives. The remainder of the cast is quite effective, each blending together in a charming tribute to a bygone musical age. A fine movie worth watching more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Guest just keeps on going, and going, and going....
Review: Christopher Guest first came to prominence in 1984, as an assistant and star in Rob Reiner's hilarious "This is Spinal Tap". Guest learned at the hands of the master, and the last 20 years of his career have been spent on mockumentary efforts ("Waiting for Guffman", "Best in Show", and, in 2002, "A Mighty Wind", where he decided to satirize the 60's folk music movement, something he and his fellow Spinal-Tappers had once done as a skit on Saturday Night Live). There are hallmarks in Guest's work. He utilizes a co-writer, the newly popular Eugene Levy (the best part of Steve Martin's recent "Bringing Down the House"), he has a regular cast of character actors that ad-lib their way through zany and satirical situations in all three films, and he conquers the art form of teasing fans and popular culture icons with gentle spoofing, double entendres, hidden meanings, and really great filmmaking. Although I enjoyed the film in the theater, it really came into its own when I was able to watch the DVD where I could marvel at the details and depths of Guest and Levy's imagination, and the brilliance of their comedy. It's strewn throughout the film, but a lot is captured and hightlighed in the DVD's special features. The premise of the film is simple: Irving Steinbloom, aged icon of the 50's and 60's folk music scene, has died in New York. His son, who followed him in managing folk music acts, Jonathon (Bob Balaban)endeavors to create a "PBN" concert in his dad's memory, bringing together three of dad's oldest and most famous acts. We get to see the faded stars in their lives today, deciding to do the show, then practicing, traveling to the Big Apple and enduring some mild hoopla and memories. Finally, we see the big event. It was easy to pick out the most outstanding performance of the film, it belonged to co-writer Levy (as Mitch), who completely convinces you, iron gray wig and all, that he is an unhinged, deer-in-the-headlights folk icon, with much of his early musical promise deadened by the cornucopia of meds he's taken over the last three decades, to try to capture some mental stability. To fully appreciate his performance, and the droll wit that drives Levy, see his ad-lib in the Special Features press conference, where Mitch does a completely credible and incredible speech, comparing Rap music to folk music. You gotta see it to believe it! Strolling through the DVD also brought out the idiosyncrasies in the film and let me marvel at the comedic turns of the delightful Jennifer Coolidge (as Amber Cole, eastern European escapee and PR agent) and John Michael Higgins (as Terry Bohner. Leader of the "New Main Street Singers"). Both were completely over the top in "Best of Show", and even more laughable here. Both are amazing scene stealers, but you have to think back over the scene to realize it. In the Special Features, you're really crushed to find deleted scenes that should have survived the film's editing (particularly Coolidge in a deadpan "piccolo" joke), memorable songs ("The Good Book", by the New Main Street Singers, is hilarious) and the unmatched wry and acerbic humor of commentators Guest and Levy. Guest, with amazing attention to detail, even filmed the concert portion of "A Mighty Wind" with TV cameras to be able to recreate the concert as it might have appeared on PBS or public access. "AMW" is not for everyone. Those who won't want to probe for the humor or the double entendre or can't reminisce about the golden age and the innocence of folk music will probably think it dull, dull, dull. I've rated it four stars, because it pales in comparison to Guffman and Best in Show, but I must say, I really enjoyed the film. Guest is a genius at understated, satirical comedy and at making gentle, loving jibes at pop culture stereotypes. Although "AMW" may be the lesser of his three films, it still proves that he is truly the king of film comedy. Can't wait for his next one!
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the rental
Review: I had great expectations for the movie when I went to check it out from the local video store. Several friends told me how their sides hurt from laughing so hard after seeing it in the theater, and the folk music subject interested me. After watching the film at home myself, I felt a little disappointed. I chuckled a few times, but overall I didn't find "A Mighty Wind" very funny. I understood a lot of the references to the folk music "revival" of the 1950s and 1960s, but either the humor was just too silly or too subtle to tickle my funny bone. The acting is superb, the characters seem genuine and believable, but the plot is dry. Thirty minutes into the movie, I caught myself glancing at the DVD display every few minutes to see how much more time was left--not a good sign. If you like the folk music of the 1950s and 1960s, or are a fan of Christopher Guest, you may enjoy this movie, but if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend renting it before spending over twenty dollars to buy the DVD. It was somewhat amusing the first time through, but it's certainly not a film I'd want to watch again.
Rating:
Summary: A Mighty Wind ( Is A Blowing )
Review: Alot of people have bad opions on this DVD which I think their crazy to say that because this movie is prob. as funny as Spinal Tap without a doubt. It has all the same members only in a folk band and alittle slower hahahahah. Their are alot of parts that will make you laugh harder then you did for Spinal Tap. So I wanted to keep this short and simple A Mighty Wind is the best folk movie ever enjoy
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