Christopher Guest, the mastermind behind mokumentaries like
This is Spinal Tap and Waiting for Guffman, is back
yet another time, with his latest—A Mighty Wind. This
isn’t the typical Guest show, nor is it as funny as his other
films. Sure, there’s the substantial interviews and humorous
dialogue, but the style has changed. This isn’t exactly for the
worse, nor is it for the better. But, I do know one thing; it’s
funny. A Mighty Wind is still definitely a jolly good
time, as well as an appreciable one. Comedy is hard to write,
but Guest’s flicks delivers time after time. The mokumentary is
a genre hard to wear out. Each subject Guest picks fun at is
always amusing to watch, and almost all of his jokes appear to
be as new and fresh as they come.
The
victim of the satire this time is folk music. It would seem hard
to pick fun at such a helpless group of people, into such a
gleeful bunch of tunes, but Guest pulls it off. But he didn’t
accomplish such alone. Eugene Levy co-wrote the film, and stars
in it too. Levy, who is always hilarious, no matter what the
material, proves that his performance in A Mighty Wind is
without exception. He delivers what he has written without flaw,
and is comically enlightening while doing so. A Mighty Wind
has something for everyone; great performances, fluent comic
writing, and a helpful soundtrack. At the time, it is one of a
few must-see movies.
While the
dialogue is undeniably hilarious, the musical numbers are the
best part of A Mighty Wind. The facial expressions of the
characters while singing, spoofed song lyrics, and the tones of
each of the songs are first-rate. The musical renditions and
original performances are what ultimately make this film worth
the ten bucks that you have to dish over to get in. When
viewing, I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. A Mighty Wind
provides some of the most shockingly funny and unbelievably
fresh humor of the last five years. And, unlike the many jokes
in Guest’s masterpiece This is Spinal Tap, you don’t have
to know a whole lot about the material in A Mighty Wind
to be able to laugh at the jokes.
The sets,
make-up, and costumes aren’t too shabby. It’s strange how many
laughs a film can bring its audiences, simply because of what
clothes the characters are wearing. The hippy-folksters are in
the most hysterical of costumes anyone could ever imagine. The
sets aren’t particularly decorative, but the humor that comes
along with them is utterly hilarious. And what is even more
laughable is each of the women’s faces. Every single one of them
is as red as a cherry. To accompany these nutty fronts, comes
their rotten, but amusing vocals and personalities. A Mighty
Wind is just, plain, folk gone wrong, and this is the way
the filmmakers want it to be; thankfully pleasant.
A
Mighty Wind is one of the best films out at this time, and
one of the best comedies I’ve seen in the last year and a half.
It’s more likable than it is funny, and will bring more smiles
than laughs; but has a beautiful feel for its sense of humor,
which is what makes it so easy to enjoy. This one will help
Christopher Guest’s resume, even though it isn’t anywhere near
his best work, which just goes to show us how ingenious he
really is. For what it is, A Mighty Wind pleased me
extremely, and adequately meets the many standards I have for
comedy on film.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews