Folk Music = Comedy Gold
In Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's latest "mockumentary" we follow three folk music groups as they prepare for a tribute concert for the recently deceased music executive who helped launch their careers and brought their messages of peace and love to the world. Yes, "folk musicians" and "careers" are used in the same sentence. Are you chuckling yet?

If you've seen any of their other films (Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman) then you will recognize several faces (Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard). The style will also be cozy and familiar- a stringing together of interviews allowing for character development, mostly improvised by the actors, culminating in a final event that throws the ensemble of personalities together for better or worse, but mostly comic relief.

Catchy Little Tunes for Parody
The bulk of the humor lies in the songs. Folk music that takes itself seriously already makes me snicker, but PARODIES of that are down-right gut-busting! The genius of these songs knows no bounds. One of my favorites is sung by The New Main Street Singers, the nine-piece folk group that went "commercial". The song opens with the story of Noah (the guy in the Bible who built that boat), and proceeds to question what would have happened if Noah hadn't listed to God? "We'd all be swimmin' with scales and gills", so "Do what the good book tells you to". Genius.

From the love-tormented duo of Mitch and Mickey, (Levy and O'Hara) we get such musical gems as "There's a kiss at the end of the rainbow, more precious than a pot of gold", and a "love song" entitled Killington Hill graphically describing the rape and murder of a young peasant woman by a wealthy upperclass man. (This song actually only appears in the outtakes. The deleted scenes on the DVD are some of the funniest moments. It had to be a tough call leaving them out, but one which makes the DVD alone worth the rental or purchase.) Did I mention that O'Hara's character plays the harpsichord?

The final group, The Folksmen, is a trio entertaining us with such lyrics as "My mother was the cold, north wind/ My father was the sooooooooooon... of a railroad man". They also have a great song (and by "great" I mean "hysterical") among the deleted scenes with a chorus of "Hey nonny-no-nonny-ninny-ninny-o", and I am suddenly frightened by how memorable and singable these parodies are turning out to be. My husband raised the interesting question as to whether one markets a soundtrack of songs that simply makes a mockery of the genre you're targeting. I present to you Celine Dion's entire career.

(The soundtrack is available and is in fact getting rave reviews on Amazon, not just as a spoof, but as authentic folk. I feel slightly better about the nonny-ninnies in my head.)

Peace, Love and Two Thumbs Up
If you've enjoyed Levy and Guests' other endeavors, A Mighty Wind will not disappoint. And if you've never checked out a "mockumentary" before, this may be the one to start with. Even if the style of the movie leaves you feeling slighted , perhaps the catchy songs running through your head 4 days later will make up for it.