A Mighty Wind

Writer-director Christopher Guest--king of the mockumentary genre--returns to his musical oddball roots in A Mighty Wind, a This Is Spinal Tap for the ‘60s folk/pop crowd. As amusingly deadpan as 2000's dog show spoofing Best in Show and 1997's community theater send-up Waiting for Guffman, Guest's latest is similarly quirky, ironic, and inexplicably endearing as it follows the preparations for a big concert featuring the reunions of several aging, corny, melodiously mellow fictional folk bands that were never as harmonious off stage as they were on. Thick with hilarious non sequiturs and pokerfaced performances from the likes of Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Bob Balaban, Fred Willard, Parker Posey, and Guest himself, it has the same kind of improvised spirit, and--up to a point--is just as entertaining as its predecessors. But the more Guest films one sees, the more they start to feel the same--and here the writer-director drops most of the satirical spirit to spend the last reel or two actually presenting the climactic folk concert in its too straightforward entirety, with only tongue-in-cheek lyrics to hold up the humor. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by co-writer-director-composer-costar Christopher Guest and co-writer-composer-costar Eugene Levy, 15 additional scenes with optional commentary (22 min.), four “TV Appearances” with optional commentary (9 min.), the “PBN TV Broadcast of the Concert” featuring six performances with optional commentary (23 min.), text bios for “the bands,” a soundtrack spot, a cast/filmmaker list, and a trailer. Bottom line: a mighty extras package for a sure to be popular film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 23, 2016—Warner, 92 min., PG-13, $21.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's A Mighty Wind features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras carried over from the previous DVD release include audio commentary by writer-director Christopher Guest and co-writer/costar Eugene Levy, “The Climactic Benefit Show” concert featuring six performances with optional commentary (23 min.), additional scenes with optional commentary (22 min.), “TV Appearances” with optional commentary (9 min.), brief behind-the-scenes footage (2 min.), a soundtrack spot, and a trailer. Bottom line: Guest's audience-pleasing mockumentary makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]