A Mighty Wind

Red = Spoilers 

A Mighty Wind is a 2003 mockumentary comedy about a folk music reunion concert, where three different folk music bands get back together to pay tribute to the producer who just died, that signed them and recorded their records almost 30 years ago. Their stories all become increasingly dramatic as the movie goes on. Starting out, rather benign. Then, as the years go by and the details are added, the patchwork of their history becomes more and more visible. The movie is co-written by Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest, both of whom are characters in the movie. Guest also directs the movie. Many of the people starring in the film are actors from Guest’s previous movies: This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show. 

What’s it about? After the death of the fictional folk music producer Irving Steinbloom, his children, Jonathan, Naomi, and Elliot try to get together and form a tribute concert of his three most famous acts: The Folksmen, The New Main-Street Singers, and Mitch and Mickey. The most famous of the three, The Folksmen, get along well when they see each other for the first time in many years and begin to practice immediately. The New Main-Street Singers are all second generation band members with horrible background stories. Like Laurie Boehner, a former porn star and now witch coven leader. And Sissy Knox, who is the daughter of one of the original members of The Main-Street Singers. Their manager, Mike LaFontaine, is a former tv star from the 70s and often quotes lines from his short lived sitcom “Wha’ Happened?” Mitch Cohen and Mickey Crabbe performed as the duo Mitch & Mickey and released seven albums together, with their most famous being a song where they ended the performance with a kiss at the end. After a tragic break-up, Mickey moved on and got married to someone else, while Mitch went insane and was institutionalized. All three acts agree to the show, and they only have two weeks to practice. The next two weeks are spent watching the three bands as they practice and interview. Getting to know the venue they’re going to be playing at. The Town Hall in New York City on a PBS like channel. As the show begins, The New Main-Street Singers open with the song that the Folksmen were going to open with called “Never Did No Wanderin’”. The Folksmen are angry because they thought their set-list was known to everybody else. They decide to open with their hit that they’re known for and some other songs that they know and then have to extend their set because Mitch has wandered off before he was supposed to go on stage. He gets back just in time to go on and the Folksmen can get off-stage without any more delay. Mitch & Mickey perform their hit and do the kiss at the end of their famous song “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow”, much to everyone’s delight. Then the rest of the folk singer’s come out and everyone performs “A Mighty Wind” to end the concert. Six months later, Mickey is performing music again at her husband’s medical expo booth. Mitch is writing poetry, alone in his bed. Mike LaFontaine has The New Main-Street Singers in line for a sitcom. And the Folksmen are performing together, with Mark Shubb, now a blond woman named Marta Shubb… 

What’s good? This is a great movie. The classic mockumentary style of Christopher Guest. It all comes together. They start out so regular, talking about where they met and how they started playing. And by the middle of the movie, everyone is so deranged, it’s beautifully written.  

What’s bad? It’s hard to say what’s bad, because it’s in the mockumentary style. So you’re kind of looking at it from the viewpoint of the cameraman to begin with. It’s not really a movie. There’s not a whole lot that’s bad about it.  

The acting? Some of the acting is brilliant. Eugene Levy is amazing. If you know what Eugene Levy is like in real life, the character he’s playing is simply incredible. He really brought that character to life.  

The effects? There’s no effects in this movie. I can’t even think of any practical effects that they did.  

How would a football helmet help playing chess? How’s a football helmet going to help playing chess? Even if he fell foward, the pieces would still poke him in the eye. Not only is it stupid, it’s inefficient.  

Why would you sell a record with no hole? Do they even make records with no holes? Is that even a thing? I don’t think that’s a thing. I wouldn’t buy it if it was.  

I don’t think “nuef-tet” is a word. Joining together one big group of folk singers and another big group of folk singers to make an even bigger group of folk singers is not a “nuef-tet”. That is a totally made-up word. It sounds german at the very least.  

What was she throwing at him? What is there to throw in a recording studio? I mean, most stuff is either attached to something or too heavy to throw. Like a mixing board or something. 

Jane Lynch has the best roles. Jane Lynch always has the greatest roles. She plays these depraved people with horrible pasts or unknown presents that they don’t talk about. Like that gym teacher in Role Models. She’s just fun to watch.  

What was she doing? What was she doing that the other girls wouldn’t do? There’s a whole lot of stuff on that list. And depending on what it was, she might’ve made a whole lot of money or a whole lot of movies. Or a whole lot of both. You never know… 

Why is she playing a ukelele in a porno? Did she learn to play the ukelele FOR the porno? What kind of porno was that? Why would you need a ukelele in a porno? That’s not what pornos are for. 

Mitch’s album covers are awfully morbid. Who was making those album covers for Mitch? They weren’t drawings. Those had to be photo shoots. He had to get dressed up to take those. That’s some morbid stuff right there. Imagine what the music sounded like… 

Why send him the rose? If Mitch was the one heckling them, why did she send him a rose when he was in the hospital? You’d think she would’ve been mad at him for heckling them all night.  

All the new main-street singers. Does every New Main-Street Singer have a horrible backstory like Laurie Bohner and Sissy Knox? Because I’d like to hear the rest of them. Who knows what else they might have in a group of nine people. 

Fred Willard and his frosted tips. Fred Willard’s character is so great in this movie. Fred Willard in general is just a great actor. But he’s great in this movie because of his washed up character and his frosted tips, trying to throw his catchphrases into random spots.  

He’s hazing the new guy to get into the band. The new guy’s not allowed to take his costume off until the other people say he can? It’s like a college frat initiation.  

How’s it hanging, grandma? How’s what hanging? What is that song about? He’s Norwegian, so you never know. You never know what might be hanging off his crazy Norwegian grandma… 

What’s she doing with that fabric? What was she trying to find with that piece of fabric? Something about vibrations and picking up senses of something. It’s crazy people talk is what it is. 

The 49^th dimension? Scientifically, there are three dimensions. Theoretically, there’s a fourth. That leaves 45 to be explained. If you can come up with 45 more dimensions, I’m very intrigued… 

Eugene and Catherine together. Eugene and Catherine O’Hara work so well together because they’ve done it in previous movies. And when they got together in Schitt’s Creek it was almost natural. 

How does the tie represent a penis? How exactly does his tie represent a penis? How does his tie represent anything? It’s just a tie. Once again, that’s just crazy people talk… 

Isn’t she married? Why did she lean in to kiss him in the first place? Isn’t she married anyway? And isn’t her husband sitting like, right there in the audience? Wouldn’t he be kind of like “hey, why are you kissing that guy…?” 

So, yeah. Go and see A Mighty Wind. I don’t know if it’s Christopher Guest’s best movie, but it’s pretty funny. And as always, keep on watching, with a smile on your face…