At the Spinal Tap retirement party.

It's too bad I didn't hate this movie. Then I could open the review with "A Mighty Wind blows." Damn integrity.

A Mighty Wind is the latest mockumentary from the people who brought us Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. And while it is funnier than most stuff that passes for comedy these days, I don't think it's really up to the standard of those previous efforts, especially not the hilarious Guffman.

In case you're not familiar with director/actor/funny guy Christopher Guest's fake documentary style, let me fill you in. He comes up with a general storyline, gets a bunch of talented people together, gives them each a character, and then they improvise a movie. Since they're supposed to be documentaries, the movies they improvise consist of interviews with the characters intercut with footage of them preparing for whatever event the documentary is about.

I think this group could go far if they'd just cheer up.

In the case of A Mighty Wind, that event is a folk music concert reuniting three legendary groups to pay tribute to the recently deceased music executive who gave them their starts. There's The Folksmen, (Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer - and, yes, this is Spinal Tap) a harmonizing trio who haven't played together in years; The New Main Street Singers, who inherited of the cheerful playlist of the original Main Street Singers; and Mitch and Mickey, (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) whose sweet love ballads gave way to an ugly breakup and a nervous breakdown for Mitch.

It's possible that you'll find Guest's comedies funny in direct proportion to how much you know or care about the subject matter. Or it could be that folk music simply isn't as ripe for satire, or that Guest has too much affection for the subject matter. In any case, I found a lot of the humor in Wind to be less pointed than in the earlier movies. None of the characters here approach the over-the-top qualities of Corky St. Clair from Guffman or the dog-obsessed Yuppies in Best in Show, nor do they get the same wicked jabbing, and I think the movie suffers for it. It feels like a mockumentary without the mocking. The talented ensemble seems to be losing the knack for creating characters that are both ridiculous and sympathetic and here they're mostly going just for the latter.

"Tonight we're going to rock you, tonight."

A few exceptions: Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara are standouts as the addled, slow-talking Mitch and the skittish Mickey. Their story is the emotional center of the movie, but there's still a lot of humor to be found in their awkward reunion. Bob Balaban plays the nebbishy concert promoter and has a great scene aggravating a theater manager with inane questions on the day of the show. And Fred Willard, for some reason, always makes me laugh with his big, doofy face. Here he plays a former child star turned manager who's always on the lookout for a gimmick or catchphrase.

For all Wind's lapses, I keep thinking about different scenes and giggling, which is one of the hallmarks of a good comedy, so I'm recommending it. It may be a more gentle breeze than I would have liked, but it's still a pleasant one.

Once you've seen A Mighty Wind, check out these five movies featuring some of its cast members. You'll like 'em, really.

Gorilla Pants rating: 3 out of 4 bananas