A Mighty Wind

2003

A Mighty Wind

Critics Consensus

Though not as uproariously funny as Guest's previous movies, A Mighty Wind is also more heartfelt.

87%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 175

75%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 42,547
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A Mighty Wind Photos

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Movie Info

The writing and directing team who created Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show turn their satiric eye toward the world of folk music in this sly mockumentary. Irving Steinbloom was one of the great behind-the-scenes figures of the folk music boom of the late '50s and early '60s, and helped to nurture the careers of three of the best known acts of the era. The Folksmen -- Mark Shubb (Harry Shearer), Alan Barrows (Christopher Guest), and Jerry Palter (Michael McKean) -- were an earnest folk trio who sang of America's noble past and the challenges of the future; they split up in the early '70s after a failed attempt to go electric. Mitch & Mickey were a duo in both music and life, comprised of Mitch Cohen (Eugene Levy) and Mickey Devlin (Catherine O'Hara). They sang soulful songs of love until the collapse of their relationship sent Mitch into a deep and incapacitating depression. And The Main Street Singers were a nine-piece vocal group -- a "neuftet," as they prefer it -- who offered energetic good-time music, cranking out nearly 30 albums in the course of a decade; their current incarnation, The New Main Street Singers (played by Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, John Michael Higgins, David Alan Blasucci, Steve Pandis, Christopher Moynihan, Paul Dooley and Patrick Sauber) is still on the road. When it is announced that the legendary Irving Steinbloom has died (the character never appears in the film), his son Jonathan (Bob Balaban) decides that the best way to memorialize his father is through music, and with the help of Mike LaFontaine (Fred Willard) of Hi-Class Management, they set out to bring The Folksmen, Mitch & Mickey, and The New Main Street Singers back together for a special concert at New York's Town Hall. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer -- who previously teamed up for This Is Spinal Tap -- not only perform together as The Folksmen in A Mighty Wind, but composed most of the songs performed onscreen. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for sex-related humor)
  • Genre:
    Comedy
  • Directed By:
    Christopher Guest
  • Written By:
    Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $17,475,811
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Castle Rock Entertainment

Cast

Christopher Guest
as Alan Barrows
Michael McKean
as Jerry Palter
Eugene Levy
as Mitch Cohen
Harry Shearer
as Mark Shubb
Bob Balaban
as Jonathan Steinbloom
Catherine O'Hara
as Mickey Devlin Crabbe
Parker Posey
as Sissy Knox
Fred Willard
as Mike LaFontaine
Jane Lynch
as Laurie Bohner
John Michael Higgins
as Terry Bohner
Ed Begley Jr.
as Lars Olfen
Paul Dooley
as George Menschell
Jennifer Coolidge
as Amber Cole
Michael Hitchcock
as Lawrence Turpin
Don Lake
as Elliott Steinbloom
Larry Miller
as Wally Fenton
Linda Kash
Christopher Moynihan
as Sean Halloran
Jim Piddock
as Leonard Crabbe
Jim Piddick
as Leonard Crabbe
Deborah Theaker
as Naomi Steinbloom
Jim Moret
as Newscaster
William S. Nunziata
Stuart Luce
as Irving Steinbloom
Mary Gross
as Ma Klapper
Marty Belafsky
as Ramblin' Sandy Pitnik
Michael S. Baser
as Pa Klapper
Jared Nelson Smith
as Young Chuck Wiseman
Ryan Raddatz
as Bill Weyburn
Todd Lieberman
as Fred Knox
Matthew Joy
as Boy Klapper
Laura Harris
as Girl Klapper
Brian Riley
as Young George Menschell
Rachael Harris
as Steinbloom's Assistant
Tyler Forsberg
as Young Jonathan Steinbloom
Jim Ortlieb
as David Kantor
Andrew Dickler
as 1971 Dell Wiseman
Thom Lowry
as 1971 Howard Wiseman
Keva Rosenfeld
as 1971 Chuck Wiseman
Brian Allen
as 1960s Mitch & Mickey Bass
Danny Merritt
as 1960s Mitch & Mickey Guitar
Paul Benedict
as Martin Berg
Floyd VanBuskirk
as Steve Lang
David Blasucci
as Tony Pollono
Patrick Sauber
as Jerald Smithers
Steve Pandis
as Johnny Athenakis
Mark Nonisa
as Mike Maryama
Cameron Sprague
as Young Terry Bohner
LeShay Tomlinson
as Steinbloom's Secretary
Mina Kolb
as Dr. Mildred Wickes
Wendel Meldrum
as Witch No. 1
Diane Delano
as Witch No. 2
James Jennewein
as Witch No. 3
Richard Hicks
as Witch No. 4
Michael Mantell
as Deputy Mayor
Bill Cobbs
as Blues Musician
Freda Foh Shen
as Melinda Barrows
Darlene Kardon
as Shirley Steinbloom
Scott Williamson
as PBN TV Director
Joe Godfrey
as Mitch & Mickey Bass
Bruce Gaitsch
as Mitch & Mickey Guitar
Diane Baker
as Supreme Folk Defense Lawyer
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Critic Reviews for A Mighty Wind

All Critics (175) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (153) | Rotten (22)

  • There is no shortage of performers with comic skills in A Mighty Wind. What's lacking instead is a visible premise for the satire and ridicule.

    May 16, 2003

    Andrew Sarris

    Observer
    Top Critic

  • More of a warm breeze than a great gust, but its simple, smart pleasures carry the force of a hurricane.

    May 9, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Connie Ogle

    Miami Herald
    Top Critic

  • You don't leave A Mighty Wind laughing so much as humming. Its dialogue may be improvised, but its music is well rehearsed.

    May 9, 2003 | Rating: A-

    Bruce Westbrook

    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic

  • While Guest never forgets to laugh, he never forgets to love either, embracing the very subject he is simultaneously throttling.

    May 9, 2003 | Rating: B+

    Tom Long

    Detroit News
    Top Critic

  • A hoot.

    May 9, 2003 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Terry Lawson

    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic

  • A rollicking, tongue-in-cheek sendup.

    May 8, 2003 | Rating: 4/5

    Bill Muller

    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (175)

Audience Reviews for A Mighty Wind

  • Nov 18, 2018
    The impression we have here is that Guest is less interested in making fun of people and their curious idiosyncrasies with his usual satirical bite, making a film that is sweeter and more heartfelt than Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show but also a bit less funny, too.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Apr 02, 2016
    Christopher Guest's masterpiece. You get the sense that while he's mocking elements of the folk music scene, he ultimately loves the genre and these characters. Everything with Mitch and Mickey is so perfect I can't help but get moved to tears.
    Alec B Super Reviewer
  • Apr 21, 2012
    Full confession alert: I'm not the biggest Christopher Guest fan; however, A Mighty Wind is maturely directed, heartfelt, and keenly observed. I never thought I would be genuinely touched by a Guest film, but that's why we watch movies, right?
    Jonathan H Super Reviewer
  • Jan 27, 2012
    My favourite of the Chris Guest films that is absolutely hilarious. What makes Guest films work is that the oddballs within them are entirely believable. The actors involved breathe life into them without taking them over the top.
    John B Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

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