Something Refreshing
A Mighty Wind Brings Laughs

If you can't see the innate humor in a mock documentary about former folk singers, you just won't get A Mighty Wind. Like Christopher Guest's previous mockumentaries Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, the humor is often in the absurdity of the situation.

A Mighty Wind surrounds the efforts to honor the memory of Irving Steinbloom -- a folk music producer who ushered in some of the "great" folk singers of the 1960s. Jonathan Steinbloom (Bob Balaban), the son of deceased, wants to stage a tribute concert in the Town Hall, and has invited three of the big groups: The Folksmen, The "New" Main Street Singers, and Mitch & Mickey. Each of the groups brings with them their own histories, stories, and insanity.

Take for example The Folksmen (Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest). Best known for songs like "Blood on the Coal" and "Never Did No Wanderin'," The Folksmen typify the stereotype of the clean-cut trios like The Journeymen or The Kingston Trio. Yet The Folksmen were best known for their one-word album titles like "Hitchin'," "Singin'," and "Ramblin'."

As with Best in Show, the biggest laughs come from seeing some great actors do what they do best. The ensemble cast (too big to list here) includes some favorites like Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy. O'Hara plays half of the Sonny & Cher-like duo Mitch & Mickey. Levy (who co-wrote A Mighty Wind with Guest) plays the spaced-out Mickey whose career spiraled after he left his better half. Fred Willard also returns. He plays a boorish talent agent Mike LaFontaine who easily offends everyone he meets.

Seeing the cast play out their strange and often surreal parts reminds one that there is no such thing as ordinary. Every persona, from the Steinbloom children to The New Main Street Singers, have quirks that make them strangely compelling. The magic is not only in the crisp writing (of which I must assume a LOT was improvised) or in the fine acting. The true magic is that Guest and company can make us believe for a little while that these people are all real, and their world really exists.

For those who appreciate novelty music, the soundtrack to A Mighty Wind offers some good music from the film. As someone who grew up with some folk music, I can attest that the music on this soundtrack sounds pretty authentic. Listening to the album is as enjoyable as watching the film, and almost as funny.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 91 min.