A MIGHTY WIND
Directed by: Christopher Guest.
Produced by: Karen Murphy.
Written by: Guest & Eugene Levy.
Director of Photography: Arlene Donnelly Nelson.
Edited by: Robert Leighton.
Songs by: Guest, John Michael Higgins & Levy et al.
Released by: Warner Brothers.
Country of Origin: USA. 91 min. Rated: PG-13.
With: Levy, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey & Harry Shearer.
DVD Special Features: Additional Scenes. TV Appearances. PBN TV Broadcast of the Concert. Bands Bios. Commentary by Guest & Levy.

Director/writer Guest (Best in Show) affectionately spoofs 60s nostalgia and sanctimonious music documentaries (think VH1’s Behind the Music). The death of a legendary folk music producer reunites three of that era’s biggest folk acts: the rejuvenated and hopelessly square The New Main Street Singers; The Folksmen, whose albums include Singin’, Wishin’ and Pickin’; and the iconic Mitch and Mickey. After suffering a mental breakdown and asked to leave a mental institution, Mitch (Levy) has a perpetual caught-in-the-headlights look. It’s a wonder how he’ll make it through the concert let alone finish a sentence. Spoofing the pomposity of interviews, a music historian describes a stellar Mitch and Mickey performance as “maybe a great moment in the history of humans.” And like almost any celebrity interview, a New Mainstreet Singer (Dooley) can utter something such as “we were at a hootenanny and we were jamming with the Klapper family” without embarrassment. Although there are no high stakes at play as in Waiting for Guffman, this fast-paced comedy, crammed with a great and diverse cast (many of whom have appeared in Guest’s other films) never loses its momentum. During the concert at New York City’s Town Hall, the cast is so enthusiastic in their performances that the original score (eerily sounding as if it was of that period) is toe-tapping infectious, whether you want to admit it or not.
May 30, 2003

DVD Special features: By far, the highlight is the hilarious Mitch and Mindy appearance on the late 1960s crime drama, Dick Berman-Private Eye. Catherine O'Hara offers the best example of intentional bad acting since Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights. Another highlight is the added scene featuring "The Good Book Song," performed by the cheerful automatons, The New Main Street Singers. KT
September 29, 2003