"While Guest never forgets to laugh, he never forgets to love either, embracing the very subject he is simultaneously throttling." ............... Tom Long DETROIT NEWS

"Expect a few belly laughs, regular chuckles and 90 minutes of fluid entertainment." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "Christopher Guest has proven himself to be the master of an entire genre of film. He owns the mock-umentary." John Venable SUPERCALA.COM "I couldn't stop laughing and tapping my feet throughout most of this hilarious mockumentary." Betty Jo Tucker REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS "consistently amusing while you're watching it, but it's even funnier when you think back on it later." James Sanford, KALAMAZOO GAZETTE "Guest juggles the characters with great nuance, humor and gentleness." Paula Nechak SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

"A Mighty Wind is simply sweet and believable, completely engaging, and well worth seeing." Karina Montgomery CINERINA "What I'll remember most about A Mighty Wind are the moments of genuine tenderness." J Robert Parks PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH "In this hilarious, pitch-perfect comedy, Guest and his longtime collaborator, co-writer and star Eugene Levy, have the quaint, golly-gee enthusiasm of folkies and their music in the cross-hairs." Megan Lehmann NEW YORK POST "A hoot." Terry Lawson DETROIT FREE PRESS "Folk music numbs me. But the sheer exuberance of A Mighty Wind, directed with mirth and mischief by Christopher Guest, who devised the story with Eugene Levy and let the cast improv the rest, had me begging for more." Peter Travers ROLLING STONE

At A Glance

"Almost makes you believe that Mitch and Mickey were real, which is an impressive stunt. More than that, it makes you almost wish that they were, which is something of a miracle." ......... AO Scott NEW YORK TIMES

"A Mighty Wind" might not blow at gale force but it does whip up a folk music storm. Hey, stop right there. What's that you say, a film on folk music. That's right folk music. But don't get too fussed about that because this is one folksy film you're really going to enjoy. That gang which brought us those wonderful 'mockumnetaries' "Waiting for Guffman" & "Best In Show" are back at it again, just as good, just as funny and yes, just as entertaining as ever. Those who have followed the hilarious antics of the cast will know that Bob Balaban, Paul Dooley, Michael Hitchcock, Larry Miller, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey and Fred Willard started the ball rolling in "Waiting for Guffman" and that Ed Begley Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch and Michael McKean were added to the ensemble when "Best In Show" was produced. The latest addition to the ensemble is cast is Harry Shearer, but even he has a long standing connection with both director Christopher Guest and fellow cast member Michael McKean having appeared with both men in the 1984 rock & roll docu-comedy "This is Spinal Tap". And the connection between cast members goes even deeper than that. Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest appeared on Saturday Night Live, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara were cast members on the comedy "Second City Television", Levy co-starred with Guest in "Billy Crystal: Don’t Get Me Started" and Christopher Guest directed Harry McKean in "The Big Picture". The cast has gelled into a great team according to Guest. “I think this ensemble now feels very comfortable and everyone trusts and respects each other,” he said. “They don’t always take the lead in a scene, but someone is always going to be able to come up with something that’s funny and make the scene work.” So what was the premise behind produce another mockumentary and its subject based on folk music? Christopher Guest explained, “I wanted to do a film with music and I’d played a lot of folk music when I was a kid. Growing up, there was an explosion of folk music in my New York neighborhood. So Eugene Levy and I started to work on a story that would encompass a number of different folk groups that had started in the Sixties and were making a comeback in the form of this reunion at Town Hall, and it took off from there.” It's not all beer and skittles putting together a final product which started out by the way with nearly 60 hours of film to edit down into just one and a half hours on the screen. Never the less it was accomplished. Having laughed my way through the Adelaide premiere of the film I was intrigued as to why they just didn't make a straight out comedy this time. Was there more scope in a doco style film? “I think a documentary format is the only way you can do a movie like this,” says Eugene Levy, “where all these editing options are available to you. It can move from one comic bit to the next, and it’s all sewn together in a way that you can’t achieve with a normal film, because you just don’t have those options.” “It’s a great way to make a movie,” added Michael McKean, “because you think you know the film, and then you see it and you realize, ‘Oh my God, is that what that noise was upstairs?’” A cast member who has grown familiar over the years is Bob Balaban who anchors the film [and the events which set the reunion in motion] as Jonathan Steinbloom. Steinbloom is really under the hammer to pull off this memorial concert which will be an emotional tribute to his recently departed father. It's not an easy journey for Steinbloom as Balaban explained. “Not since Fatal Attraction has a character had to go through so many traumatic and difficult experiences to get what they wanted. Jonathan is tone-deaf, but he loved his father and is doing everything he can to honor his memory with a ‘perfect’ concert.” At the top of his hit list are The Folksmen, Mitch & Mickey and The New Main Street Singers [and in case your new to Guests films, Guest appears in the film as one of The Folksmen]. “The Folksmen are clearly three guys who really are passionately into the music, but would love to make a comeback and turn a buck at it,” says McKean. “This is a movie about dragging all that crap out from under your bed and trying it on again; and let’s face it, no one’s tuxedo fits after thirty years. I think what’s funny is this ill-concealed fury and jealousy at a scene having passed you by; I can’t imagine Jerry listening to the top forty songs without wanting to kill himself. I feel slightly suicidal myself when I hear that stuff.” In a cast of terrific characters it is Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, the former sweethearts of the folk world who win the audience over. Mitch and Mickey are best remembered for their romantic hit “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow”. The song wowed audiences because it always featured a romantic kiss at the end of the song. That was back in the 'good old days. Unfortunately they haven't spoken for 28 years. A lot of magic happens in Guests films and this is very evident with Mitch and Mickey. “I’ve known Catherine O’Hara since about 1973,” Levy said, adding "there is a kind of symbiotic thing that happens when we perform together, an understanding that cuts out a lot of the middle steps, and it’s always great fun working with her.” That is one of the two strengths which appear throughout Guests films. The first is that fluid inter-action between the cast and the magical feeling they generate as being real people. And if you're still worried that a very funny film about folk singers couldn't be your cup of tea, perhaps a few words from Peter Travers of ROLLING STONE will help convince you that "A Mighty Wind" is worth the effort. "Folk music numbs me. But the sheer exuberance of A Mighty Wind, directed with mirth and mischief by Christopher Guest, who devised the story with Eugene Levy and let the cast improvise the rest, had me begging for more." To that I can only add this, if it's a toe-tappin, hand clappin, laugh out loud experience you're looking for then "A Mighty Wind" is it. It's a real hoot! The Story

"Seeing these superb comic actors again in yet another sharply written satire is enough to make you smile before they even open their mouths." ......... Glenn Whipp LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS

Jonathan Steinbloom, son of the late Irving Steinbloom, has decided that the best memorial he can produce as a tribute to his father would be a reunion memorial concert featuring artists his father had help make into great folk music successes. Jonathan has his sights set on "The Folksmen", "The Main Street Singers" and that romantic duo "Mitch and Mickey" performing at the town hall. That may prove to be a difficult task to accomplish, especially in the case of Mitch and Mickey, after all, they haven't spoken in twenty eight years and Mitch's mind is slightly addled. The pressure on Jonathan to deliver the goods mounts when a television station anounces they want the rights to telecast the reunion concert live and in prime time. Jonathan is also under pressure from his brother [who thinks its all a waste of time] and his sister [who is an emotional mess and believes the concert will help her grieving process]. It's never smooth sailing but Jonathan won't give up. He's determined to succeed against all the odds. The result is a concert filled with great songs performed by great artists. The Verdict "Another excellent 'mockumentary' from Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, "A Mighty Wind" is a folksy hoot. The songs are pure magic and are performed with a great passion. The cast, lead by Levy and O'Hara is just smashing. Forget the 'folk' tag and enjoy this romantic, magical trip down memory lane. Another hilarious masterpiece from Christopher Guest. The Cast

Eugene Levy Catherine O'Hara Bob Balaban Jim Moret Stuart Luce Mary Gross Marty Belafsky Michael Baser Jared Nelson Smith Ryan Raddatz Todd Lieberman Matthew Joy Laura Harris Brian Riley Harry Shearer Michael McKean Christopher Guest Rachael Harris Tyler Forsberg Paul Dooley Jim Ortlieb

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Mitch Cohen Mickey Crabbe Jonathan Steinbloom Newscaster Irving Steinbloom Ma Klapper Ramblin' Sandy Pitnik Pa Klapper Young Chuck Wiseman Bill Weyburn Fred Knox Boy Klapper Girl Klapper Young George Menschell Mark Shubb Jerry Palter Alan Barrows Steinbloom's Assistant Young Jonathan Steinbloom George Menschell David Kantor

The Crew Directed by Christopher Guest Written by Christopher Guest & Eugene Levy Produced by Donna E. Bloom & karen Murphy Original Songs by Christopher Guest/John Michael Higgins/Eugene Levy/Michael McKean Original Songs by Catherine O'Hara/Annette O'Toole/Harry Shearer/Jeffrey CJ Vanston Cinematography by Arlene Donnelly Nelson Film Editing by Robert Leighton Casting by Richard Hicks Production Design by Joseph T Garrity Art Direction by Pat Tagliaferro Set Decoration by Dena Roth Costume Design by Dorinda Rice Wood Run Time 92 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2003 - Castle Rock Entertainment - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved