Satire Lite
Christopher Guest's latest mockumentary foray into the land of the ditzy, A Mighty Wind, is about as amiable and nice as satire can get. Instead of taking some obvious potshots at the conventions, lifestyles and beliefs of his newest assortment of eccentric characters, Guest and co-writer Eugene Levy instill in them a pathos and sympathy that defangs the satire just at the moments when it should be most biting.
The movie is a "documentary" about the efforts of folk recording scion Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban) to put on a tribute concert for his late, great, folk record company founder father, Irving. As with other Guest efforts, we meet a wacky cast of characters, this time comprising three folk music acts—the Folksmen, the New Main Street Singers and Mitch & Mickey. These scenes are amusing but lack the bite of earlier efforts like Best in Show. This is particularly evident with the squeaky clean New Main Street Singers, which features a victim of musical child abuse, an ex-porn star cum witch, and a former teenage runaway—all of whom get off very easy just when they should be eviscerated.
This doesn't mean there aren't laughs to be had, but it's all so very, very nice that it almost verges on being an uplifting but sitcom-ish drama, not a satire on the goofiness of folk singers. The structure is part of the problem. Instead of being a straight musical history of these fictional groups, we see too much of the preparations, too much finagling as they try to coax the mentally ill Mitch (Eugene Levy in a wonderfully bizarre performance) to sing with Mickey (Catherine O'Hara who is, once again, a perfect foil for Levy). There's too much schtick and little of the passion that makes oddballs so very interesting. The documentary conceit also seems to be abandoned several times during dramatic moments, blurring the point where the "documentary" ends and "reality" begins.
But for all its flaws, what really makes A Mighty Wind worth shelling out $10 for is the music, which is absolutely wonderful and could even convert those who despise all country and folk music. Levy is particularly astounding. He really can sing, signaling a possible new career path for him.
All in all, A Mighty Wind is an amiable diversion, but no comic gem.
The movie is a "documentary" about the efforts of folk recording scion Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban) to put on a tribute concert for his late, great, folk record company founder father, Irving. As with other Guest efforts, we meet a wacky cast of characters, this time comprising three folk music acts—the Folksmen, the New Main Street Singers and Mitch & Mickey. These scenes are amusing but lack the bite of earlier efforts like Best in Show. This is particularly evident with the squeaky clean New Main Street Singers, which features a victim of musical child abuse, an ex-porn star cum witch, and a former teenage runaway—all of whom get off very easy just when they should be eviscerated.
This doesn't mean there aren't laughs to be had, but it's all so very, very nice that it almost verges on being an uplifting but sitcom-ish drama, not a satire on the goofiness of folk singers. The structure is part of the problem. Instead of being a straight musical history of these fictional groups, we see too much of the preparations, too much finagling as they try to coax the mentally ill Mitch (Eugene Levy in a wonderfully bizarre performance) to sing with Mickey (Catherine O'Hara who is, once again, a perfect foil for Levy). There's too much schtick and little of the passion that makes oddballs so very interesting. The documentary conceit also seems to be abandoned several times during dramatic moments, blurring the point where the "documentary" ends and "reality" begins.
But for all its flaws, what really makes A Mighty Wind worth shelling out $10 for is the music, which is absolutely wonderful and could even convert those who despise all country and folk music. Levy is particularly astounding. He really can sing, signaling a possible new career path for him.
All in all, A Mighty Wind is an amiable diversion, but no comic gem.
