First a confession. I don’t think that I’ve ever sat through the whole of Spinal Tap. And I’ve never seen Best in Show despite my best efforts (no pun intented); one of these days, I’ll get hold of a cheap version of the DVD.
But I was keen to see A Mighty Wind as I know that Christopher Guest is a funny man. The film takes the form of a documentary built around a folk reunion concert to celebrate the life of Irving Steinbloom, a folk “mogul” from the sixties. The three bands being reunited are: The “NeW” Main Street Singers, a group of nine twee singers now full of replacements in their matching shirt and tanktop combinations; The Folkmen, a trio of elderly gents; and Mitch & Mickey, a duo who had an uneasy relationship with Mitch having since spent some time in a psychiatric hospital.
The cast of characters is entertaining, and we have multiple flashbacks to their TV performances from their sixites heydays, as well as a series of amusing album covers.
I’ve got to say that this hit the spot with me, with the petty rivalries and jealousies, the backstories and the music. In fact the music was played very straight, and if I knew the music from the period better I think I’d agree that it was spot-on from a parody’s point of view.
The film culminates in the commemorative concert in New York.