Intermission: 'Mighty Wind' puts folk music back in spotlight

Jim Wunderle is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

Director Christopher Guest, in a recent interview, said he was confused by the term "mockumentary," a description coined to describe his films. He doesn't like the "mock" part of the word and insists he hasn't mocked the characters in any of his movies.

Maybe pseudo documentary would be a better description.

In his latest effort, "A Mighty Wind," Guest tackles the immensely popular musical genre of folk music. Guest, as a writer, gave us "Spinal Tap," and as a writer/director gave us "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best of Show."

OK, maybe folk music isn't all that immensely popular with the kids today, but its place in modern musical history cannot be denied.

Guest invents folk superstars The Main Street Singers, The Folksmen and the beloved duo Mitch and Mickey.

These three groups are featured in "A Mighty Wind," and Guest with his entire close-knit improvisational troupe proves yet again that the best satire springs from the minds of people who intimately know their subject.

In the early days of rock-n-roll, every hack comedian on the "borscht belt" had a routine that attempted to parody the new sound. Most were painfully embarrassing.

Guest and company as they did in previous films with heavy metal, small-town theater and the world of dog shows show just how amazing satire can be. The folk songs in "A Mighty Wind" are so close to the real thing, my guess is this soundtrack will do for folk what "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" did for bluegrass.

The film opens with a news report about the death of folk impresario and legend Irving Steinbloom. His son, Jonathan, decides a tribute is in order and he wants to hastily throw together a show at New York's Town Hall Theater. He scrambles to get his father's three biggest acts back together for the gala affair.

The Main Street Singers, now The New Main Street Singers, are still together, doing cruise ships and amusement park gigs. The Folksmen have been disbanded for many years and none are in the music business, but they are still on good terms and will no doubt be amiable to a reunion.

The problem lies with Mitch and Mickey, whose biggest hit, "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," had hippies falling in love in the 1960s. The loving duo had a well-publicized and extremely acrimonious split-up in the early 1970s.

Mitch went on to record a few deranged solo albums, his last featuring the artist on the cover standing in an open grave with an "R.I.P." headstone. After that Mitch faded away and fried his brain with sundry drugs and debauchery.

Miraculously, though, Mitch agrees to the reunion, so all appears to be well. But when he shows up at Mickey's (now a happy housewife) for rehearsals, we find he is a babbling drug casualty.

Meanwhile, The Folksmen are finding that slipping back into the old groove may not be as simple, or as pleasant, as they had hoped. The New Main Street Singers, left only with one founding member and rounded out with eight of the perkiest lil' entertainers you ever did see, are sharing some of their darker secrets.

The show begins to come together but not everything goes exactly as planned. Throughout, we're treated to a wide cast of supporting characters giving interviews, and we get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of show business well, folk show business anyway.

The concert itself is a joyous affair, especially when the viewer hears many of the songs played in their entirety. Mitch and Mickey, who are the main characters in the film, have a touching moment on-stage and all is right with the world, at least for a moment.

Guest and Eugene Levy (who plays Mitch) have a unique way of writing the screenplays for their films. They come up with a detailed story but write absolutely no dialogue. When filming starts and "A Mighty Wind" was shot in an amazingly brief 22-day period the well-seasoned cast improvised everything they said. For Guest's formula, this approach works perfectly. The improv aspect adds a sense of realism to the style. Indeed, this really is a documentary.

The cast is populated by the best improvisational comedians in the business, and they all give dead-on, great performances. I'd single out Catherine O'Hara as a high point. Her portrayal of Mickey is played straight, and the relationship between Mickey and Mitch actually makes for some really touching moments.

While not the best film Guest has ever made, "A Mighty Wind" is great, great fun; and watching improvisational actors of this caliber is reason enough alone to see it.

A side note: By far the biggest laugh the day I saw the film was elicited by a line referring to a place Springfieldians know very well. Watch for it.