Rating: 
Summary: Another Gem From Christopher Guest
Review: If you're a fan of "Best in Show" and "Waiting For Guffman" you will enjoy "A Mighty Wind." It does for/to the folk music scene what "Spinal Tap" did for/to heavy metal and "rockumentary" films. The cast is largely the same as in the other Guest offerings, but this time Harry Shearer and Michael McKean (Guest's Spinal Tap bandmates) join the ensemble. As usual, they create a hillareous set of offbeat characters.This time around, the gags and satire are a bit more subtle. Eugene Levy has a more central role in this one and he gives a great comic performance. Perhaps the folk music subject matter just toned things down a bit, but there were fewer side splitting moments and more in the way of giggles and chuckles to this movie. The psuedo documentary formula was the same and Guest's improvisational approach to filmaking gives this a similar look and feel to Best in Show and Guffman. Fans of this stuff have different favorites. I happen to think Best in Show is the funniest thing Guest has done. I would rate this as the second best offering with Guffman pulling up a very close third. Opinions differ even among fans of these movies, but it's all very funny stuff. If you like this group's earlier work you will not be disappointed with A Mighty Wind.
Rating: 
Summary: Guest's best--a mildly amusing, warm-hearted diversion
Review: If you've seen Christopher Guest's WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW, then you know what to expect: a mock documentary poking gentle fun at the object of it's satire, in this case the "folk music" popular in the '60s, and those who would exploit it for commercial profit. The cast is anchored, as usual, by former Second City luminaries Catherine O'Hara & Eugene Levy, together with Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Guest himself. All are excellent, but Levy shines as the tragicomic sad-sack former folk-idol, Mitch. Jane Lynch also stands out as the irrepressible former-porn-slave-turned-bizarre-religious-cult-leader of The New Main Street Singers (a New Christy Minstrels send-up), and so does John Michael Higgins as her husband. Ed Begley, Jr. turns in another smoothly understated performance as the yiddish-spouting Swedish goy public television producer, Lars. And Michael Hitchcock is spot-on as the full-of-himself concert hall director whose mounting exasperation with Bob Balaban's neurotic impressario provides the only true belly laugh in the movie. A MIGHTY WIND might not quite reach the highs of Guest's former efforts, but it avoids their lows, too, with better pacing and a more sustained story. For once, his commitment to his material and characters seems to equal his commitment to the improvisational working method that no one does better than this talented troupe. On its own terms, then, A MIGHTY WIND is a rather successful little movie full of good clean fun. Had it aimed a little higher, it might deserve another star, but it certainly merits no fewer than three.
Rating:
Summary: Parody folk music, but still pretty good folk music!!
Review: This is basically the same exact movie as Christopher Guests' other movie "Best in Show," except it's about folk revival music instead of dog shows. "Best in Show" was surprisingly good, actually, and I've caught myself rewatching it several times. "A Mighty Wind" has, I swear to God, every major cast member and most of the minor cast members from "Best in Show" so it's hard to forget you're watching the same formula done over. Both are fake documentaries that are basically remakes of "Spinal Tap" (which, of course, starred Christopher Guest as well). This isn't such a bad thing, however. While not quite as good as either "Spinal Tap" or "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind" is amusing. And the original folk music composed for the film is surprisingly good in places. "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" is a hauntingly beautiful song. Most of the other tunes are intentionally hokey or bombastic, as parodies of real folk revival music. However, as a fan of folk revival music, I still kind of enjoyed nearly all of them! The performances were strong and you can watch the movie for musical content alone and enjoy it on that level.
Rating:
Summary: Love the Cast, Liked the Movie
Review: THIS IS SPINAL TAP is an undisputed classic. WAITING FOR GUFMAN has hilarious moments (the two favorites that come to mind: the old man auditioning by uttering obscenity-laden lines from RAGING BULL and Eugene Levy's crossing eyes when forced to perform without his glasses) and BEST IN SHOW really feels like they're hit the mark. I was excited to see A MIGHTY WIND but, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I did. Maybe my expectations were too high. I chuckled but didn't see any homeruns. The problem: they've so painstakingly recreated the kind of lame PBS-styled folk show that...it actually feels like a lame PBS-styled folk show.
When I saw it on cable recently, I could even flip back and forth between WIND and a lame folk show on PBS (which was actually a fun thing to do!). The weird thing about it is: every time it's on, I can't help but watch it. And I laugh harder each time.
Anybody else?
Rating: 
Summary: Best of the Bunch
Review: While I enjoyed Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, A Mighty Wind is better because it is more subtle. The characters in Best of Show were often overdrawn, and the humor often descended into the kind of inanity found on MAD TV. Here, however, the characters are deliciously quirky but maintain an edge of believability. Some of the best scenes are genuinely moving, and you don't know whether to laugh or cry. The music is likewise excellent. How often does a satire include original songs that could have been hits in the genre being spoofed? The magic, here, is that the best satire is always loving satire. It always maintains a real affection for the target. (That, by the way, is also the magic of O Brother Where Art Thou.) In addition, the timing is excellent, and the writing is simply outstanding. If you haven't seen it, don't let anyone spoil the punchlines for you.
Rating:
Summary: Another Gem From Christopher Guest
Review: If you're a fan of "Best in Show" and "Waiting For Guffman" you will enjoy "A Mighty Wind." It does for/to the folk music scene what "Spinal Tap" did for/to heavy metal and "rockumentary" films. The cast is largely the same as in the other Guest offerings, but this time Harry Shearer and Michael McKean (Guest's Spinal Tap bandmates) join the ensemble. As usual, they create a hillareous set of offbeat characters. This time around, the gags and satire are a bit more subtle. Eugene Levy has a more central role in this one and he gives a great comic performance. Perhaps the folk music subject matter just toned things down a bit, but there were fewer side splitting moments and more in the way of giggles and chuckles to this movie. The psuedo documentary formula was the same and Guest's improvisational approach to filmaking gives this a similar look and feel to Best in Show and Guffman. Fans of this stuff have different favorites. I happen to think Best in Show is the funniest thing Guest has done. I would rate this as the second best offering with Guffman pulling up a very close third. Opinions differ even among fans of these movies, but it's all very funny stuff. If you like this group's earlier work you will not be disappointed with A Mighty Wind.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, yes, but also....
Review: When discussing three of the films in which Christopher Guest has been centrally involved thus far (i.e. Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind), it would be inaccurate to suggest that they follow the same formula. Rather, Guest is guided by an equation which consists of the following: an ensemble company of immensely talented actors, hilarious satirical material presented in a "mockumentary" style, and a multi-dimensional plot which concludes with a Grand Event. He directed the three films and plays a central role in them, as does Eugene Levy with whom Guest also co-authored the screenplay for each. Best in Show remains my personal favorite but A Mighty Wind is nonetheless immensely entertaining even as it (oh so subtly) suggests some serious issues along the way. Briefly, here is the situation. Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban) is the son of a legendary producer of folk concerts in the 1950s and 1960s. In loving and respectful memory of his father, Steinbloom decides to produce a reunion concert in New York City's Town Hall which would bring together again Mitch & Mickey (Levy and Catherine O'Hara), The Folkmen (Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer) and the eight members of The New Main Street Singers. Once married, Mitch Cohen and Mickey Devlin are now divorced; when the film begins, she is now married to Leonard Crabbe (Jim Piddock). All of the performers eventually agree to appear and begin to prepare somewhat apprehensively for the concert. Of course, there are the inevitable tensions and pressures as they do so, exacerbated by the emotional baggage which several (notably Mitch & Mickey) have been dragging along in their lives for so many years. The concert finally begins and then.... Others have their own reasons for admiring this film so much. Here are three of mine. First, the most effective "mockumentaries" have a high level of verisimilitude. In this instance, if you had no idea that it is the score from A Mighty Wind, and were already familiar with various folk music groups, you would believe that selections such as "Old Joe's Place" and "Never Did No Wanderin'" are authentic. Guest and his associates took great care to ensure that the score is at least comparable with classics once performed by, for example, Dick & Dee Dee ("The Mountain's High," "Tell Me," "Young And In Love," "Love Is A Once In A Lifetime Thing," and "Where Did The Good Times Go." Now consider the titles of the songs which Mitch & Mickey sing in A Mighty Wind: "When You're Next To Me," "One More Time," "The Ballad Of Bobby And June," and "A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow." The Folkmen and The New Main Street Singers also have their historical counterparts which other reviewers have duly noted. The second reason is that all of the acting is first-rate. Fred Willard (as talent agent Mike LaFontaine) and Jennifer Coolidge (as PR specialist Amber Cole) are especially noteworthy. It is quite an achievement to cast so many from Best in Show in roles in this film which are wholly dissimilar. It is an even greater achievement for the actors to bring it off. To name but two, Jane Lynch (Laurie Bohner) and John Michael Higgins (Terry Bohner). Finally, probably because I attended so many concerts 35-40 years ago and collected an even greater number of the folk music albums, A Mighty Wind evokes an abundance of pleasant memories for me, memories of an age and of a society which now seem so far away. In my opinion, this is a much more serious film than are Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. With all due respect to the effectiveness of the comic elements, there is poignance in the awkwardness between Mitch & Mickey even as they seem to reach some degree of closure when singing "A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow." It is no fault of Guest, his cast, and crew that many such as I who enjoy seeing this film will later reflect on what awaited us at the end of our own "rainbow."
Rating:
Summary: One of Guest's Best
Review: 'A Mighty Wind' is one of the best comedies of the last twenty years, as are all of Christopher Guest's movies, starting with 'This is Spinal Tap'. 'A Mighty Wind' focuses on a reunion concert featuring three different acts and all the unforeseen troubles the show encounters along the way. The whole cast is great, and it is wonderful to see the Spinal Tap guys performing as 'The Folksmen', Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are brilliant as 'Mitch and Mickey' (Levy's performance as an aging hippie should have won an Oscar), and the hilarious musical 'neuftet', 'The New Main Street Singers' were wonderful as the cheesy upbeat folk rip-off artists they are (and Fred Willard is especially brilliant as their manager.) The supporting cast is especially brilliant, with particular kudos to Bob Balaban whose obsession with legal culpability vis-a-vis the floral arrangements is priceless. The DVD has many extras including extra scenes, the entire concert as performed, a performance of the haunting 'Catheter Song' by Catherine O'Hara, and full length commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. This is not to be missed; each time I watch it, it just gets funnier. Kudos to the whole cast!
Rating:
Summary: Comedy At Its Best (The Orb of the Setting Sun)
Review: I loved this film for being so anti-Jim Carrey. Don't get me wrong I love that kind of comedy but a different approach is refreshing every once in a while - which is what this is exactly. The characters are so lovable and the plot is just off the wall. I was very upset that Levy didn't get a nomination out of this - he was simply wonderful! I would call this a must see for everyone, parents and older children who would get the humor. 5/5 and deserves every one.
Rating:
Summary: Yay!
Review: Dear Reader,
Yay! The only thing wrong with it was that Chirstopher Guest's role wasn't large enough and Levy anf O'Hara should have gotten back together -- other than that it was pure comedic genious. The music was great too.
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