A MIGHTY WIND (2003) / ** 1/2
Directed by Christopher Guest. Screenplay by Guest and Eugene Levy. Starring Bob Balaban, Levy, Catherine O'Hara. Running time: 91 minutes. Rated PG by the MFCB. Reviewed on May 17th, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: When a music promoter passes away, his son (Balaban) decides to organise a reunion of the folk singers his father once represented. These include marginal favourites the Folksmen (Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer), the cult-like New Main Street Singers, and the estranged Mitch and Mickey (Levy and O'Hara). In faux-documentary style, "A Mighty Wind" chronicles the tumultuous days leading up to the concert.
Review: I imagine that Christopher Guest's mockumentaries must be mysterious beasts to the novice viewer. Apart from their unusual format, the style of humour Guest employs is well removed from typical Hollywood fare. He doesn't go for zinging one-liners or big set-piece gags: rarely is Guest striving for a joke which will have the audience rolling in the aisles. Instead he aims to build an offbeat atmosphere, gradually introducing people and situations which are off-kilter but rarely totally ludicrous, so that by the time the credits roll, the viewer is grinning madly at the deft twisting of the subject matter. "A Mighty Wind" falls into this category: all the characters are a little strange, but none of them come from totally out of left field, and nothing happens which feels overly contrived. High marks go to Levy for the wonderfully eccentric Mitch, and Balaban for his portrayal of a neurotic concert organiser. But where Guest fails in comparison to his last effort, "Best In Show", is that he's not willing to really skewer the folk music scenario. Every time he seems to be building to such a moment, he pulls up short; it's as if he likes the characters too much to add any real bite to the movie. The result is a lukewarm, slightly empty affair. "A Mighty Wind" is still amusing, but it's a lesser entry into the Guest book.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html
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