Late last week, the actress Catherine O’Hara passed away at age 71 after a brief illness.
O’Hara left behind a rich legacy in film, including roles in Beetlejuice, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas and other classic flicks.
Watch With Us has taken a look back at her career and picked A Mighty Wind as the one O’Hara movie you should watch right now.
This comedy film featured O’Hara alongside her longtime friend and co-star, Eugene Levy, 12 years before they starred together on Schitt’s Creek.
Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy Have Great Chemistry Together
The film revolves around three folk music acts that come together for a memorial concert for a recently passed music producer. One of the groups is a former musical duo, Mitch & Mickey. While Mitch Cohen (Levy) and Mickey Crabbe (O’Hara) were once in love and inseparable, they’ve long since broken up by the time the film takes place. Mitch became emotionally unstable while Mickey went off and married another man.
Despite the estrangement between the two characters, O’Hara and Levy make the audience believe that they share a deep connection that’s never fully gone away. O’Hara also plays Mickey as if she feels deeply sorry for the state of mind that Mitch is still stuck in. It’s not quite love, but it’s enough to hold them together long enough for one last performance.
Mitch and Mickey’s Song Is the Emotional Climax of the Movie
Mitch & Mickey’s signature hit, “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow,” was written for the film by Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole. The centerpiece of Mitch and Mickey’s act is that they would always kiss near the end of this song, and there’s some tension in the movie about whether either of them is willing to do so again.
Even the other music acts at the show openly wonder how Mitch and Mickey will handle the moment when it comes, which is why they rush to watch their performance. The way it’s positioned in the film makes it the final emotional beat of the movie, and it delivers. O’Hara and Levy’s singing is also very impressive, and the duo reunited at the Oscars to perform it again when it competed for Best Original Song.
‘A Mighty Wind’ Is a Hilarious Mockumentary With Great Music
Although Mitch & Mickey are the heart of the movie, director Christopher Guest spread the spotlight around the film’s large cast. Guest also reunited with his Spinal Tap costars Harry Shearer and McKean as a trio of performers known as The Folksmen.
Mark Shubb (Shearer), Jerry Palter (McKean) and Alan (Guest) deservedly get a lot of screen time in this flick, and their comedy and their musical talents blend beautifully. This may be a parody and a mockumentary, but Guest still treats this trio as relatable people. Collectively, the entire cast transforms A Mighty Wind into an uplifting film. And even if you’re not into folk music, the songs are incredibly catchy and very enjoyable.
A Mighty Wind is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
