Runtime: 92 minutes
Directed by: Christopher Guest
Staring: The typical crew in these Guest mockumentaries… including (RIP) Catherine O’Hara
From: Warner Bros./Castle Rock
A belated RIP to Catherine O’Hara. When I saw Best in Show for the first time in January, the thought never crossed my mind that she’s passed away only about two weeks later. I pushed off tipping my cap to her until now; this film is on Netflix currently, but only until early April. As someone who grew up in the 80’s & 90’s, I’ll of course forever remember her for Beetlejuice & Home Alone but I’ve enjoyed her in other things, including Best in Show and now, A Mighty Wind.
Truth be told, I never listened too much to folk music; it’s not something I hate but it’s a genre I’ve never done a deep dive on. I wish my late mother was still around-at times she’d remembered the old folk music she used to listen to-this mockumentary spoofed the folk revival of the early 60’s, when Mom was a kid. I do recall she still remembered the songs of Peter, Paul, & Mary. Who knows if she’d be offended at even this light poking fun at that scene.
An old folk music producer passes away; several groups come together for a tribute concert. This includes The Folksmen act that was both on Saturday Night Live in the 80’s & are part of the Spinal Top universe. Of course, many wacky, colorful characters appear throughout. The usual crew for the Christopher Guest mockumentary subgenre are here: Michael McKean, Ed Begley, Jr., Harry Shearer, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, and many others. What a tremendous look Willard sported in this film.
The droll humor you expected was present; I was entertained by these characters & the scenarios. O’Hara was part of a former duo w/ Eugene Levy but they had the typical nasty split. His character had mental health struggles; thankfully, that wasn’t done in poor taste. To echo others, his character was clearly based on such musicians as Syd Barrett and Brian Wilson. As expected, the O’Hara-Levy duo were simply a treat. Not a bad way for me to pay tribute.
Naturally, for a comedic movie concerning a musical genre, the songs needed to sound authentic while still ludicrous. Thankfully, A Mighty Wind succeeded on this front. The movie was also a success in terms of providing entertainment for 90 minutes, notwithstanding of my limited knowledge of the musical genre it mildly prodded.
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