Some years back I was directing a community musical and friends starting citing Waiting For Guffman. I didn't know the reference, but once I met the work of Christopher Guest I was an immediate fan. I loved Best in Show when it was released in 2000, but A Mighty Wind is nothing short of brilliant.

The film concerns three groups of the '60s: The New Main Street Singers, the Folksmen, and Mitch and Mickey. They shared a common promoter--Irving Steinbloom--whose death sparks a concert in his honor.

A Mighty Wind is a mockumentary, tracing the steps involved in getting the three groups together for the concert, and then the actual concert, which is covered live by PBN.

The saga of the sadness between Mitch and Mickey--a couple on and off the stage until their painful breakup--sounds a lot like recent coverage of Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

There's delight in this movie just seeing Guest's regular ensemble cast appear one by one. When I saw it, the audience began chuckling just when the faces appeared on the screen, even before they spoke. In fact, it was often tricky to catch the dialogue thanks to audience laughter. The story was created by Guest and Eugene Levy but the cast actually improvs their lines. It's first rate from beginning to end.

A Mighty Wind is a particularly gentle mockumentary. For the most part, we actually care about these characters. Yes, there are times that are just meant to be ridiculous, and they are, but for the most part you feel kind of fond of these seemingly good-hearted real people. My 60s loving husband insisted on identifying each group and telling me how wonderful they were.

The concert at the end of the movie is a real toe-tapper. I found myself singing along, even as I laughed at what I was singing. A Mighty Wind is a light-hearted kind-hearted look at folk music and reunions. Guest has an incredible ability to create characters who are ridiculously far fetched and yet touchingly human. I loved A Mighty Wind.


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