This is Christopher Guest's warmest movie. While some melancholy is present, the film truly loves its subject matter and treats its characters better than most others.
The topic under the knife? (Is it under a knife this time?) Folk music, which the film clearly has a blast with.
Irving Steinbloom, a folk label legend, has died, and so his son has arranged a huge tribute concert to bring back all the classic bands Irving loved and helped establish. The film treats us to some wonderful and hilarious mockups of the bands in their glory in the sixties, and focuses on them today. Mitch and Mickey are the main anchor, being sweethearts famous as sweethearts back in the day, but having drifted apart in the present. Mitch is now a distant, troubled, likely atypical man who has been in care but not disgnosed. Mickey is a married woman who put her music days behind her. Will they be able to recreate their famous romance for the concert?
The film uses all-original all-silly all-authentic and all-great music which each of the acts get to show off to various degrees. It's got nearly enough original songs to be a musical but that's not even its genre. The dynamics of the different bands are fun to see, especially as time has changed them.
The character performances are good, but I think it's really the bit parts, not the leads, that are funniest. Jennifer Coolidge absolutely steals the show as the bizarre Amber Cole, and the cuts to Naomi Steinbloom in the concert audience are some of the subtlest, best jokes in the film. Still a great showing from the whole cast.
Some aspects are dated, including an awkward portrayal of transness and songs with cultural stereotypes that aren't remarked upon in-film.
If you like folk music, don't worry: this film loves it. You're in for a good time.
An authentic, affectionate, funny tribute.
This is Christopher Guest's warmest movie. While some melancholy is present, the film truly loves its subject matter and treats its characters better than most others.
The topic under the knife? (Is it under a knife this time?) Folk music, which the film clearly has a blast with.
Irving Steinbloom, a folk label legend, has died, and so his son has arranged a huge tribute concert to bring back all the classic bands Irving loved and helped establish. The film treats us to some wonderful and hilarious mockups of the bands in their glory in the sixties, and focuses on them today. Mitch and Mickey are the main anchor, being sweethearts famous as sweethearts back in the day, but having drifted apart in the present. Mitch is now a distant, troubled, likely atypical man who has been in care but not disgnosed. Mickey is a married woman who put her music days behind her. Will they be able to recreate their famous romance for the concert?
The film uses all-original all-silly all-authentic and all-great music which each of the acts get to show off to various degrees. It's got nearly enough original songs to be a musical but that's not even its genre. The dynamics of the different bands are fun to see, especially as time has changed them.
The character performances are good, but I think it's really the bit parts, not the leads, that are funniest. Jennifer Coolidge absolutely steals the show as the bizarre Amber Cole, and the cuts to Naomi Steinbloom in the concert audience are some of the subtlest, best jokes in the film. Still a great showing from the whole cast.
Some aspects are dated, including an awkward portrayal of transness and songs with cultural stereotypes that aren't remarked upon in-film.
If you like folk music, don't worry: this film loves it. You're in for a good time.