A Mighty Wind

"A Mighty Wind" is not as uproariously funny as Christopher Guest's previous movies, but is also more heartfelt.

Christopher Guest and company tackle the super-cheesy folk music scene of the '60s in their own unmistakable way. While its status among Guest's other pictures can be debated, I don't think there's any question A Mighty Wind is his most complete effort. Tremendously funny at points, it also tells a straight, coherent story while mixing in a stunning, powerful emotional hook. The laughs may not be as loud or rapid-fire as they were in This is Spinal Tap, but the tone also isn't as flippant, which is a major reason why it's able to settle down and deliver something truly sweet during its climax. Of course, the original music is once again outstanding, with lyrics that are just as funny, if not nearly as brazen as Spinal Tap’s repertoire, and is spectacularly performed by a cast of ad-lib legends. It's an ensemble piece in every definition of the word, with the mock-u-mentary style of the first sixty minutes providing more than enough background to invest its audience in time for the grand finale in Town Hall. Effectively funny and heartwarming in even doses, A Mighty Wind serves as a great continuation of the troupe's legacy. ------- Updated thoughts after a 2026 re-watch: Rewatched this in honor of Cathleen O’Hara, who passed last week. Along with her longtime onscreen counterpart, Eugene Levy, she’s the heart and soul of this sweet, quirky, catchy little folk music mockumentary from Christopher Guest and his usual players. Levy and O’Hara play Mitch & Mickey, a lovey-dovey acoustic duo who trumpeted the arrival **** mini-boom with their tender, romantic late ‘60s TV debut. The ensuing decades saw them through a breakneck ascent, then a bitter split that sent Mitch to some pretty dark places. And, while he doesn’t look completely ready (nor recovered), they’ve agreed to reunite for a special benefit concert with a pair of their best-known contemporaries. Those other groups - The Main Street Singers (a far-too-peppy, religious-tinged ensemble helmed by Jane Lynch) and The Folksmen (Spinal Tap with a banjo and an upright bass) - are more baldly satirical than Mickey and her ex-beau, a little flatter and slappier, but that makes a good counterbalance to all the moody worry that surrounds the headline duo. Lynch, as usual, pushes her role well past the edge of discomfort, while McKean, Guest and Shearer hit us with a nonstop barrage of potent quips and ridiculous quirks. They’re hilarious caricatures off the stage and, shockingly, lights-out performers on it. Even for non-fans such as myself, A Mighty Wind scores with its original soundtrack. I don’t know any of the acts they’re ripping off (or homaging) here, but I’m sure they’re being paid fine service.