by David C. Terr

#89 <<    #90    >> #91

Title: This Is Spinal Tap

Director: Rob Reiner

Starring: Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Fran Drescher, Bruno Kirby

Release Date: Mar. 2, 1984 (USA)

Running Time: 82 min

Genres: Comedy, Music

 

Commentary
This Is Spinal Tap is a hilarious mockumentary (mock documentary) of a fictitious heavy metal band. The movie pokes fun at the music industry, heavy metal in particular. The members of Spinal Tap are horribly vulgar and very dumb. The band ends up getting into some very embarrassingly funny predicaments.

Plot Summary
Marty DiBergi (Reiner), a TV commercial director, decides to make a documentary of Spinal Tap as they tour across America. The band is in serious trouble, which their tour is supposed to correct, but they end up getting into more and more trouble by making a series of stupid mistakes. By the end of their tour, the existence of the band is in serious jeopardy, but in the end, they become a hit in Japan, whence they decide to tour there.

Social Relevance
Heavy metal was a popular genre of rock and roll in the late '70s and early '80s, which was beginning to fade when this movie came out. This Is Spinal Tap pokes fun at some of the worst aspects of heavy metal, like its sexism, vulgarity, and stupidity.

Humor
This Is Spinal Tap is full of hilarious scenes. Here are some:

• During a concert performance of the song "Rock 'N' Roll Creation", the three band members are each set to emerge from sarcofoci, but one of them won't open. Some music technicians try to break and weld it open, eventually succeeding just as the song ends, when the other members go back into theirs.
• The band it set to perform in Cleveland but they can't find the stage. They ask a man in the basement how to get to the stage. He gives them directions but they end up back where they started.
• The lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Guest) is explaining to Marty about how the band's amps are special because they go up to 11 instead of just 10. Marty asks him, "Is it louder?", to which he responds, "Well it's one louder, isn't it?"

Music
Although Spinal Tap wasn't a real band, the actors who played them recorded and released a soundtrack, which includes the following songs:

• "Hell Hole"
• "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
• "Heavy Duty"
• "Rock 'N' Roll Creation"
• "America"
• "Cups and Cakes"
• "Big Bottom"
• "Sex Farm"
• "Stonehenge"
• "Gimme Some Money"
• "(Listen to the) Flower People"

Movie Clips

Here's the original movie trailer.

 

Here's a funny interview with the band in which they explain how former members died tragically and mysteriously.

Here's the full-length version of "Gimme Some Money" (not featured in the film).

 

Here's a full-length clip of "(Listen to the) Flower People" (also not featured in the film).

 

Here's a clip of their concert performance of "Big Bottom".

 

Here's the classic scene of Nigel showing Marty his guitar collection, including the amps which go up to 11.

Here's the hilarious scene in which the band can't find the stage.