A Mighty Wind (2003)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Christopher Guest

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Guest (written by) &
Eugene Levy (written by)

Release Date:

9 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

Back together for the first time, again.

Plot:

Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.

Plot Keywords:

Fake Documentary | Flatulence | Folk Music | 1960s | Amusement Park

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Jim Moret	...	Newscaster
Stuart Luce	...	Irving Steinbloom
Mary Gross	...	Ma Klapper
Marty Belafsky	...	Ramblin' Sandy Pitnik
Michael Baser	...	Pa Klapper
Jared Nelson Smith	...	Young Chuck Wiseman
Ryan Raddatz	...	Bill Weyburn
Todd Lieberman	...	Fred Knox
Matthew Joy	...	Boy Klapper
Laura Harris	...	Girl Klapper
Brian Riley	...	Young George Menschell
Harry Shearer	...	Mark Shubb
Michael McKean	...	Jerry Palter
Christopher Guest	...	Alan Barrows
Eugene Levy	...	Mitch Cohen

Also Known As:

Untitled Christopher Guest Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-3 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39820) | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

The Folksmen are a parody of The Kingston Trio, right down to some of the album covers, the uniforms, and the way they perform their songs.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mitch and Mickey are introducing their song at Town Hall, Mitch's hand is making a "C" chord. In the next shot with just Mickey's head and Mitch's guitar in the background, it has no hand on it. When the shot returns to Mitch and Mickey together, he is still making a "C" chord.

Quotes:

Mike LaFontaine: I worked some bills with a few Folkies, you know - "Put 'em in a cell with a long hose on him, put 'em in a cell with a long hose on him!" I used to say "If he's got a long enough hose, he's gonna have a lot of friends in the shower room." Folk audiences hated that joke.

Movie Connections:

References "Saturday Night Live: Michael McKean/Chaka Khan, The Folksmen (#10.4)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Corn Wine

Blowin' in the wind

Christopher Guest is a generous actor/director in that he doesn't hog the camera for himself. He lets his actors do their thing without much interfering; he fades into the background, practically.

This pseudo-documentary about the folk music craze of the late 50s and early 60s in this country is accurate. It is a hilarious take on those performers that were part of the era. Mr. Guest has a great insight in presenting the different characters and brings them together with an accurate eye for detail.

Eugene Levy and Catherine OHara are teamed up again as Mitch and Mickey, a famous duo from those days who were the biggest act in folk music of the time. Eugene Levy appears to be catatonic as Mitch, who agrees to take part in the Town Hall ceremony honoring his mentor. Catherine O'Hara is excellent in her part as Mickey, the loyal partner.

The documentary form seems to work well, as it serves the point for the reunion of all these performers coming together one more time, even though the world has forgotten them.

There are disappointments in that no one has a central role, but the misuse of Parker Posey in the film is regrettable. I guess there was no space to showcase any actor over another.

Mr. Guest keeps getting better with every new film and it seems a very great idea to concentrate on this very talented cast for future occasions where they can all interact, as it has been the case, in the previous occasions.