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The Best Band to Have Never Existed

I'm going to avoid making the obligatory "goes to 11" joke in this comment, hehe...This movie has become a comedy classic. The film is a mockumentary about the worst (greatest?) heavy metal band to have never existed: Spinal Tap. My friend introduced me to the film when he discovered I'd never seen it, immediately demanding I give it a viewing. I'm glad he did, as this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The entire film is played as a real documentary as it follows the band on tour in America to promote a new album and we get a glimpse into the small minds of the band.The movie is directed by Rob Reiner, who also has a part in the movie as documentarian and Spinal Tap fan, Marty DiBergi. The band's key members are the comedy team of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. These guys were AMAZING; most of the movie was filmed unscripted with improvised lines and these guys were hilarious (for further proof, listen to the character commentary on the special edition DVD). In addition to the humor, the film also has some pretty addicting music. The film's stars all played their own instruments and did their own vocals, and they sound great. I can't tell you how long I had "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" stuck in my head after watching this film.I can understand how people became confused and believed Spinal Tap to be a real bad; it almost had me believing it until I realized the lead singer was Michael McKean. The film is played completely straight-faced and that only makes it funnier when the band encounters a myriad of problems on the road; the scene backstage when Nigel is discussing his food selections with Ian Faith (the manager, Tony Hendra) is hilarious. Those who haven't yet seen Reiner's film are missing out on this cult classic.Watching this film again, I really wish the three actors would get together for a little reunion tour....

God bless DVD!!!

If the digital medium was ever invented for one film, it would have to be the Criterion Collection's release of "This Is Spinal Tap" on DVD! Sure, there are perfectly legitimate reasons why several scenes were left on the cutting room floor, Billy Crystal's explanation of the catering business' name a notable exception, but Rob Reiner's commentary is almost as much fun as the "Tap" itself. "Spinal Tap - The Last Tour" section is another phenomenal extra goody, laying the foundation for what would eventually become the world's first and funniest rockumentary: the one...the only..."This Is Spinal Tap."

Subpar Mockumentary

As a huge fan of the mockumentary genre (e.g. Zelig, Bob Roberts, Best in Show), I was heartily looking forward to This Is Spinal Tap. Unfortunately, the film did not live up to my expectations. While there are a few good gags (although most have already been heavily sampled by sketch comedy shows and repeated ad naseum by too-young-for-Python-quoters), it is on the whole a dull and lackluster affair. While I applaud Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer for attempting something truly great, I cannot join others in heralding its execution. The songs are at the same time lacking in believability and too close to the source material. The strife between the band members is overly predicable, with an irritating and chuckle-free Yoko character parading around in `Australian nightmare outfits' and a series of thinly veiled nasty cracks at the late great Keith Moon. And though it obviously is the model of virtually all of VH1's original programming (e.g. Behind the Music), it does come to a trite and cloying faux-happy ending that puts the Air `thank God Kurt Cobain shot himself' Supply story to shame. I was pleased to see a youthful Dana Carvey as a mime waiter, and Bruno Kirby gushing over Sinatra, but even an endless supply of pleasant cameos does not a movie make (a lesson Loaded Weapon 1 taught us so well).
On the whole, while I might recommend This Is Spinal Tap as an important piece of cinema history, I would not have placed it anywhere near the top 100 comedies of all time.

Wonderful Rock Satire

Spinal Tap is a brilliant piece of Rock Music Satire, and here's ten things i love about it.1/ Nigel Tufnel's painfully bad Guitar Solos. (There his trademark) 2/ The bands spontaneously com-busting Drummers (Dozens of people do it, it's just not widely recorded) 3/ The 18 inch Stongehenge Monument that was in danger of being crushed by a Dwarf (Making a big thing of it would have been a good idea) 4/ Not Doing Heavy Metal in Dubly (Dolby of Course) 5/ Nigel Tufnel's Guitar Collection (Don't Touch it, Don't even look at it) 6/ Derek Small's Embarrassing Airport Security Problems (A Cucumber wrapped in Silver foil) 7/ David St. Hubbin's, the patron saint of quality footwear.8/ Nigel's Medically accurate T-Shirt, (It is green, you see how your blood looks Blue) 9/ The Track Big Bottom (Talk about bum cakes, my girls got em) 10/ The Black Album Cover (None more Black, and Metallica Loved it too) 11/ And Finally (These go to Eleven) A Must for Rock Fans, but potentially funny for all.10/10

A cult movie of particular taste...A classic film.

Spinal Tap has a specific audience that it appeals to, and that is the cult audience. Particularly, those of them that are musicians. To the working musician, this movie is packed with hilarious in-jokes and giggle-worthy moments. If one is also well versed in music culture, and knows all about the different bands through-out the 60s, 70s and 80s, (The Beatles, Kiss and Queen for example), then the jokes in this movie will have meaning. If not, then one will find themselves lost, and the movie will seem pretty slow and bland.Of special interest to some may be Christopher Guest's musical performances as Nigel Tufnel, (He played Count Rugen in The Princess Bride), and Harry Shearer's (His voice is heard as most of the characters in The Simpsons) as the likeable Derek Smalls. Guest's singing voice is very sweet, which is a complete opposite to the rough sound of the band. They work well together, however.For those in the music know, this movie is non-stop classic hilarity, but if you're not savvy to the culture the humour will be lost on you.

Best movie ever...? Quite possibly!

One of those rare movies that gets better with each viewing... Shearer, Guest and McKean are absolutely perfect. Just one question: Why doesn't the IMDB voting scale for this movie go up to eleven?

Includes such classics as"Lick my love pump"!!

Spinal tap is what you would call a typical Cult movie and what i mean by that is , it is a film that is sometimes looked back on with so much romantisism that it seems better in the memory than it actualy really is. I hadn't seen This Is Spinal Tap for many years and and i often looked back on the film with fondness and i still do after seeing the film today but not quite as much. What is unusual about this film , and i dont often say this about films is,that it is to short at 80 minutes but having seen the DVD with all the extra scenes it is a wonder as to why this film was not made longer when originally put together. It's hard to say to much about the acting because i would presume Christopher Guest,Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner ad lib a vast majority of the film and brilliant at it they are. Some of the scenes are so funny and they will go above the heads of many people but i just think it is getting a little dated. 7 out 0f 10

I wish I could give it an eleven!

So dry, so funny, but not so so. I have a new appreciation for the color black and I've learned you really can't dust for vomit. On the whole, this film is Heavy Duty. Even though most of the funny stuff is at the beginning the fact that the band is so vain throughout the entire film is comic genius in itself. "I said Spinal Tap and puppet show" One doesn't have to do stand up or Jerry Lewis physical comedy crap to be funny. One look at dwarfs dancing around an 18 inch tall Stonehenge proves this. The three main characters balance themselves wonderfully. One is like fire the other like ice and the middle like Luke warm water. I've got to go now, I think i'll open up a chapeau shop.

Making a big thing of it would have been a good idea!

Anybody who does not find this film funny is clearly a loser. This rockumentary is hilarious in everything that it does whether it is the classic lines or the band getting lost on the way to the stage.If you did not find this film funny or thought it was crap you obviously missed the subtle humour so you must watch it again!!! As this rating goes to eleven.

Pee-in-your-pants funny

This is one of my favorites of all time. Whenever I watch this I cannot stop laughing. The accents, the hair, the pants, the music - so over-the-top, yet so true of just about every rock band that ever existed. A must-see!!!

Better than Axel Rose........

Those who are tsking this movie as over-rated are just being so cliché. Anyone and everyone in the rock industry will KNOW that every piece rock 'n roll stereotype is in here somewhere. And I'm being cliché about that one too. The performances are deadpan and straightfaced and cringing. All the jokes are more guffaw then laugh out loud but 99 per cent of the jokes work and will never wear out.Thats all I need to say about Spinal Tap. Crap band weren't they.....

Good, but not nearly as good as Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show or A Mighty Wind

A decent, sort of funny documentary, rockumentary, mockumentary, whatever you wish to call it. People who started off with Guffman, Show or even A Mighty Wind will be sorely disappointed as it is not nearly as funny or smart as these, but still worth the four or five really good moments in the movie. Geez, I heard it was classic and thought it would be better than the new movies... Wasted all that money.... This is one to rent, not buy.

Absolutely hilarious

The genius of this movie was how serious these second rate musicians take themselves inspite of their lackluster fanbase. It is as though they live in a total bubble unaware of how terrible they are. The onstage antics and the dialogue was hilarious and the music, surprisingly isn't all that bad. This movie was especially funny for me as I grew up when hair bands were all the rage and this movie perfectly exploits this time. This fake rockumentary was so well done that its sometimes hard to believe they were acting. Rob Reiner was absolutely brilliant in the making of this movie. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes music and has a sense of humor.

The greatest Moc-umentary of all time

Reiner took a chance with McKean and Guest to produce a "movie" that had never been made before. The idea was not only different but took a lot of people to convince it could work. One by one, actors came out to support the film by doing cameos. Billy Crystal, Paul Schaffer, and several other SNL connected stars came out to add their own touch of genius to the project. In the end, you get proof that McKean and Guest are two of the most under appreciated actors / writers of the 80's and 90's. Their fresh brand of comedy has produced some of the most funniest moments in movies and television. This is Spinal Tap remains one of the most original and creative films ever produced in the comedy genre. 20 years later, the film has gained a giant following of devoted fans and comedy writers who have tried to steal from its uniqueness.

Too funny...

This Is Spinal Tap has rightfully gone down as a modern comedy classic in the eyes of most people; Reiner and the major players create a ridiculous group - Spinal Tap - and make them seem almost real. There's probably been many bands as beleagured and unaware of their own stupidity as the Tap.Great scenes and lines are numerous, despite the very short running time of 80 mins. The "Stonehenge" set was my favourite bit, but *every* line, nuance and song-lyric is judged to perfection. As with Withnail and I, the quotability is nigh-on endless. The songs are perfect for this band - I especially like the bit where Tap convert a piece of Mozart music into a cheese-metal guitar solo.Everything about this film is perfect, if you haven't seen it, well, you MUST! ***** (out of *****)

Incredible, funniest movie I have ever seen.

From the beginning to the end, this movie is brilliantly constructed. The start in medias res of the group's waning popularity, the internal struggle which almost destroys them, and their reunion and ascent back into popularity are crafted to perfection. Good things do happen to good people, and the band members remain so obliviously optimistic in the face of inevitable failure throughout that we cannot help but love them.In this film, ALL questions are answered: the band manager, who slaves away for Spinal Tap, is finally appreciated and respected; David and Nigel's friendship prevails over Janine, the would-be destroyer of the group; and Derek, too easy-going to worry or complain, remains "somewhere in the middle [of Fire and Ice], sort of like lukewarm water." The mocumentary reveals the true souls of the musicians through ballads like "Lick my Love Pump" and lyrics like "my baby fits me like a skin tuxedo, I love to sink her with my pink torpedo" and "big bottom, talk about mud-flaps, my girls got 'em". Even social issues such as drugs ("well I'm sure I'd be more upset right now if I wasn't so heavily sedated"), racism ("Well, we don't literally say 'love your brother'; we don't even literally mean it. But we're anything but racist") and sexism ("well it is and it isn't; she should be made to smell the glove, just... you know... not repeatedly") are tackled and resolved."The dials go up to 11" in this flick, where "you can't dust for vomit" and freak gardening accidents are "best left unsolved". Films like "Rock Star" will never achieve this level of wit or popularity; what Stephen Herek and John Stockwell fail to realize is that it takes more than marketing gimmicks for a film to stick - it takes intelligence, a department in which the two of them are quite evidently and quite worryingly lacking. In the end, there is a fine line between clever and stupid, and this movie is so funny that, it's like, how much funnier could a movie be, and the answer... is none.

Directed by Rob Reiner, This is Spinal Tap is a `rock'umentary of the fictional European heavy metal band Spinal Tap. The film pokes fun at the numerous stereotypes of heavy metal `hair bands'. Dubbed as the world's loudest band, with amplifiers set to 11, Spinal Tap embarks on their first U.S. tour in years. During this period Marti DeBergi follows the band making his documentary. The scenes throughout the movie vary from interviews and concerts with the band, to the backstage and offstage life of its members. The band was formed by guitarists and vocalists David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel. Oddly, they began as an upbeat pop band, which is portrayed as a Beatles-like group. They eventually decided to take on the genre of rock and roll and, after many name changes, settled on the name Spinal Tap. The film makes fun of the ever-changing lineups of modern rock groups, having all of Spinal Tap's past drummers need to be replaced due to odd deaths such as a freak gardening accident, choking on vomit, and on stage spontaneous combustion. During scenes of concert footage of the band, we are treated to their satirical lyrics of songs such as Big Bottom, Hell Hole, and Sex Farm Woman. In a likely not too far off exaggeration of real rock bands, Spinal Tap argues constantly about practically everything. At one point manager Ian Faith quits after a long argument with the band and David's girlfriend over the miniature Stonehenge prop on stage. During a concert soon to follow, Nigel walks off and quits in the middle of the show. Eventually the band reforms for its tour in Japan, but ultimately stays on its downhill path. The satire and realistic feel to this film makes it a classic comedy.

Along with Young Frankenstein, my favorite comedy of all time....

Brilliant. That is the only way this film can be described. The dead on satire from the masters of improv is witty, unpredictable, and best of all, hilarious! This film is even more hilarious if you are familiar with the rock scene of the eighties which it mocks frequently. David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls (you will understand the pun if you see the film), and Nigel Tufnel are Spinal Tap. Along with great cameos from the likes of Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, and Ed Begley Jr., this film is a must see. See Roger Ebert's review for even more reassurance. See this film. You owe it to yourself.**** (out of four)

This Is A Comedy!!!

My comment summary may sound obvious, but when the
movie first came out, I actually had to tell someone that itwas NOT a "real" band. The lead singer was "Lenny" of
"Lenny and Squiggy" fame and that Anjelica Huston is not aset designer. Hilarious from start to finish. I watch it about once a year toget my funny bone re-energized again. Made me a die-hardRob Reiner fan.Not, however, the first of it's kind. There may be an earlierone, but the first "mockumentary" of a band I saw was "TheRuttles" by Eric Idle, mock/honoring the Beatles.

The funniest Mockumentary Ever

This movie is by far the funniest mockumentary of all time. The story follows a band called Spinal Tap, and it goes through their touring and their many adventures as a band. Rob Reiner does an excellent job. Michael McKeehan and Christopher Guest are fabulous. I also recommend Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show.