because you can't have too much entertainment... May 2003

A Mighty Wind

Dir: Christopher Guest Screenplay: Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy
Starring: Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest,Michael Hitchcock, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Larry Miller, Catherine O' Hara, Parker Posey, and Fred Willard

When Hollywood, moviegoers, and p.r. drones talk about "event films" they're usually referring to movies that feature multiple visual effects sequences... and not, as it turns out, multiple throngs of characters. (Unless said throngs are CGI generated... in which case "event status" is graciously bestowed.) But for a small pocket of moviegoers, a new Christopher Guest comedy earns the "event" title with ease. And, as you may have sussed out already, I am one of those filmgoers. The way I see it, multiple laughs and characters handily trump numerous visual effects sequences. They are, if you stop to consider it, in much shorter supply.

A Mighty Wind casts its comedic net around a series of past-their-prime folk artists and reels them in towards a climactic reunion concert, in honor of their shared manager who has passed from this mortal coil. But the plot - predictably skimpy - is only the skeleton upon which the talented core group of players can lay their fleshy and muscular comedy. The greatest joy of this troupe's filmography has always been the insanely clever and varied character improv work within each film. This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and now A Mighty Wind are all joyfully overstuffed with funny bits and there's a little something for every taste. A little high and a little low as comedy goes; usually, in the most inspired bits you'll find a mix of both.

Though Wind is the least laugh-out-loud funny (at least on first viewing) of the series, it still features enough chuckles to be a highly pleasurable movie excursion. One of the most delicious effects of Christopher Guest comedies is the building nuances of the humor. Jokes that at first seem a mite broad take on greater resonance and become funnier the more you think about them. The almost fanatical happiness of The New Main Street Singers (Jane Lynch, Michael Higgins, and Parker Posey chief among them), for instance, at first seems like an easy target -good for one or two laughs. But you find yourself laughing belatedly somewhere later in the movie. The actors, under Guest's guiding hand, don't just settle for a cheap laugh but keep building toward larger ones. Take, for instance, Jennifer Coolidge's tiny role as a dumb P.R. Agent. Coolidge has a perfect comedienne's face. She can summon audience smiles with a simple expression. Add to her naturally funny face a bizarrely amiable voice ("me too!") and the giggling commences. But she's not done yet. Sprinkle her physical comedy with verbal non sequitors and unexpectedly committed comedic force. A humming moment late in the movie reveals her to be not just intelligence impaired but beyond-dumb. The laughs snowball as the actors add comic detail to their creations.

Though Guest's films often share multiple actors, the group dynamic is ever-changing. Guffman's comedic soul circled around the great singular comic creation of the 90s, Corky St. Clair, played by Christopher Guest himself. The ensemble worked their magic in relation to and in orbit around him. Best in Show went forward with a true ensemble feel and nature. No one performer or character dominated the proceedings. Wind shifts the dynamic again: The true heart of this folk comedy is in the pairing of Eugene Levy and Catherine O' Hara as former lovers Mitch & Mickey, a folk duo sensation. Mitch & Mickey are, as it turns out, the great weakness and strength of the film. Eugene Levy as the stoned elusive Mitch unfortunately goes astray here. Levy is a constant fixture in supporting roles in Hollywood comedies. He's always reliable for quick laughs from the sidelines. But placed front and center here in A Mighty Wind, his work feels too broad pared with the carefully considered characterizations that the other actors employ. Funny voices and faces (see also: Jennifer Coolidge) work exceedingly well in small bite-size doses. But since he and O'Hara are the leads, his vocal affectations and face pulling quickly become tiresome. The laughs diminish as the film progresses. But, blissfully, he is only half of the duo. The true glory of this new film is O' Hara's faded folk sweetheart. O'Hara has been dependably enjoyable in generic Hollywood fodder Home Alone, hilarious in smarter mainstream productions like Beetlejuice and in her recent turn as an excessively needy Hollywood type on HBO's Six Feet Under. But in Christopher Guest's improv-heavy oeuvre, one can feel her talents truly blossom. While she was nearly as terrific in Waiting For Guffman (her monologue on film acting in that small town theater parody is nothing short of genius) A Mighty Wind could arguably be considered the pinnacle of her career. She's as funny as usual but she breathes so much humanity into the character that the film takes on an undertow in her presence. If she shifts the film further toward drama than Guest's work usually ventures, we should consider that a happy accident rather than a misstep.

A Mighty Wind may turn out to be a lesser light in Christopher Guest's career. But I'm not completely willing to bank on that yet. His comedies usually hold up. They are so layered with verbal wit, so filled with humor in minutae that multiple viewings are a must. This latest comedy may not have the impossibly consistent scene-for-scene brilliance of Waiting for Guffman or the broadly funny accessibility of Best in Show, but it'll be a great comedic year if it doesn't turn out to the be one of the smartest comedies of 2003.

-Nathaniel

Missed some reviews or commentary? Go here