I like the subject of the film and I liked "Best In Show" over "Waiting For Guffman", but many critics are giving this a mediocre "thumbs up". People who have seen it--should I buy it, rent it, or skip it?

REnt it... it's decent enough, but certainly not as good as 'Show' or 'Guffman'... I would give it a rent for sure though...but I don't think I'd pick it up unless you can find it used somewhere cheap.

MATT

I didn't think it was as funny as SHOW, but i'm more of a dog person and know jack about folk music. still, I thought this was one of the funniest movies I've seen this past year. I guess give it a rent, but if you like his other stuff i can nearly gurantee you that you will dig it.

i still find eberts review of it bizzare

I loved it, as I did Waiting For Guffman (I liked Best In Show least, although I am a huge dog lover). I picked up the Christopher Guest threepack since I really enjoy all movies. I have been looking for some Mighty Wind DVD reviews, but haven't found a lot. I found what I guess would be called an easter egg (one of the guitar strings) and find reading the information very hard. Anyone else find this?

hmm

the thing i found great about this film is the music. but therein lies a problem as well. the Levy/O'Hara tunes are REALLY good, so much so that they almost seem out of place. i have the soundtrack, and they really did a pro job on their numbers. the Folksmen tunes are also really good, but rather self-aware.

not a bad film, but far from WFG and BIS (the latter being my favorite)

The music in this movie is just too good. A lot of people find that it distracts from the mockumentary because the music, which could have been used to continue with the mocking, is really good. I also have the soundtrack and love it. There are some songs that are out of place but a great soundtrack nonetheless.

I think I liked "Guffman" the best out of the three, but I thought they were all of a very consistent quality. I'd have to disagree slightly about the music, though---I thought it was absolutely perfect for the movie. In fact, my only complaint about the theatrical release was that there wasn't enough of the actual performances shown. Thankfully, in the DVD extras we get a couple new songs shown in the deleted scenes, some more songs from mock TV show appearances, and the full PBN concert.

I think the music is something that Guest and co. have perfected like no one else in movie history. It seems to me whenever you see any movie or TV show about a fictional band, the music is the one thing that is NEVER believable---it always sounds like unoriginal crap written by a hack for a movie. But in Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind, the music is actually written on par with legitimate releases in the genre---to me, that's the crucial aspect which gives these movies comic cohesion and weight. There is nothing less funny than parody that's too broad, shallow and simplistic---where it's obvious that the writers aren't really that familiar with the subject they're parodying.

I only rented, but the DVD is great. It contains deleted scenes that are quite good, full versions of all the performances, and a very funny clip featuring Patrick Warburton as a Columbo-type detective.

It also has a commentary track, which I didn't listen to.

As I wrote on a different board, it's the subtlety in these movies that make them great. One of my favorite scenes in A Mighty Wind is after The New Main Street Singers take the stage, and we leave the stage just as Terry Bohner is about to introduce himself, and we get to hear the audience's laughter at his name in the background. I love that scene...

I wrote a review in the Movietalk section a while back that basically said the reason this one isn't quite as good is not because of a letdown by the director/writer/actors. It's just that the subject isn't as hilarious as obsessive dog owners IMHO.

Give it a rent or pick it up cheap.

I grabbed the dvd, and I loved it. I loved Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, so I had faith in Christopher Guest and his troupe. I reccomend it, but like many above me say, it isn't as good as his previous 2 films. Definitely worth at least a rent.

As movieking stated, the subtlety in these films is a major part of the brilliance. As a result, they seem to improve with every viewing for me. I could watch Guffman, Best, or Spinal Tap every day for a month and still find new pieces of hilarity.

That said, I would agree with the general sentiment in this thead that Wind is not quite up to snuff with the others. That, of course, is my opinion after only one viewing. I don't recall being blown away by Guffman the first time I watched it.

It's not that the film is lacking; it's more that it takes a slight detour from it's siblings. I feel somewhat embarrassed to say this, but Wind seemed "touching" to a degree. The whole Mitch and Mickey thing (their interaction after being reunited, Mickey's wistful lines about Mitch, her concern when he left, the kiss scene) was much more serious than what we have seen from Guest before.

Also, the music in this was outstanding. I know nothing about folk music (by choice ), and I never buy movie soundtracks, but these tunes were terrific. This group has refined movie music to a fine art now.

Great film, all in all, and certainly better than most of the tripe out there. I look forward to viewing it again.

Thanks for all the replies!

I picked this up when it was on sale the first week and then waited for your opinions before opening it. Since I'm a music fan (I actually like folk music quite a lot), I went ahead and watched the DVD because everyone seemed to agree that the music in film is excellent.

As others have concurred, the humor is quite subtle in some parts(which to me is not a bad thing) and laugh outloud funny in other parts. The music for the most part was good, but I was expecting better. (I guess I had visions of some long lost Bob Dylan imitation song surfacing.) What I especially liked was Eugene Levy's interpretation of his character. Having followed his career from Second City days, it was fun to see him play a character I'd never seen from him.

All in all, I wished it was LONGER. I wanted to see and know more about each of the characters. (I guess that's what the extras are there for. Just wish it was all incorporated into the movie.)

Altogether, 3 out of 4 stars for me.

Perfectly said! While I enjoyed AMW, it just didn't have that "kick" or charachter development I so treasured while viewing BIS. I probably won't rent AMW again, but I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to others.....

i think a mighty wind was the best of the three. it was my favorite comedy this year but that isnt saying much.

one thing that got me was how perfect the music was for the movie. the mitch and minnie songs were so good that it made them really seem like a singing couple from years ago. i even picked up the soundtrack. considering how much this movie relied on music then an oscar really is deserved.

anyway, one thing that gets me about the christopher guest dvds are:

1) how uninformative the commentaries. for such funny people then i just expected so much more.

2) extras. why do none of these movies have blooper reels? with so much improv between a tight group of people then there had to be some moments where they lose control or goof up. id love to see those.

i rented it and enjoyed it - and am considering purchasing it.

Me too. I have a running list of films that if I do a Columbia House thing in a few months, this will be one of them.

I didn't find it nearly as funny as Best in Show.

I wouldn't want to be without it, but I agree is is just not funny enough. Best things for me:

My 2 year old daughter loves the "PBN Broadcast" of the six songs. It's on permanent rotation in my player. Now I have that damn Kiss at the End of the Rainbow song stuck in my head all day.

i've rented this from greencine, and am really strongly considering buying this one. "a mighty wind" is a bit subtler than guest's earlier films, but it doesn't have as many flat gags as the others either. it's probably my favorite out of all of them.

if you know the usual suspects from best in show, spinal tap, and waiting for guffman... you'll LOVE watching the characters they've created this time around. as others have mentioned, the music is really pretty good. (i'm not a folk music fan). eugene levy is fantastic. this is the first time i've seen him when he isn't a simple buffoon. the person who surprised me the MOST was john michael higgins. he was very funny in best in show as michael mckean's over-the-top partner, but here he's really fantastic as the lead of the "new main street singers."

my favorite scene is: