Hilarious, bitingly perceptive and cinematically assured.
Comment
08/19/08
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
96
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:49
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: A brilliant and hilarious documentary-style satire of a has-been British heavy metal band who never really was on an absurd American comeback tour that never quite gets off the ground, THIS IS... [More]
Starring: Spinal Tap, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer
Director: Rob Reiner
Reviews for This Is Spinal Tap
Top CriticFirst of all, let's just clarify something: This Is Spinal Tap is the funniest film ever made.
01/01/00
Top CriticReiner's brilliantly inventive script and smart visuals avoid all the obvious pitfalls, making this one of the funniest ever films about the music business.
02/09/06
Top CriticQuite possibly the funniest spoof of all time.
12/10/01
Reiner’s brilliant “rockumentary” sends up its subject matter and the documentary form, with such deft perception that confusing it with the genuine article is an easy mistake to make.
01/01/00
Top CriticA mediocre satire of heavy rock bands.
08/21/04
The material is consistently clever and funny, though ultimately the attitudes are too narrow to nourish a feature-length film.
12/17/07
the bad-luck bad boys still don't disappoint in this ultimate roast of the music industry.
01/01/00
Top CriticThis Is Spinal Tap about as funny and on-target as parody gets.
03/27/01
Top CriticHilarious pseudo-documentary spoof of a British rock group that was so on-target in its satire, many viewers took it for the real thing.
12/17/07
Top CriticA towering achievement in cinema, music, and life art. Funnier and more prescient every time I see it. Any time they tour I will be there.
12/06/05
A hilariously scathing indictment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and all the egoism and shallow philosophising that goes along with it.
03/19/03
It was the first, and it remains one of the best, as Reiner’s shots at the big egos, small minds and incredible self-indulgence of overpaid rock stars consistently hit the mark.
07/25/01
This Is Spinal Tap,"the funniest rock 'n' roll movie ever made...
01/01/00
No review available.
08/29/03
Perhaps the first, and certainly the best, entry into the mockumentary genre.
01/01/00
Simultaneously created the genre and broke the mold
09/02/03
Scores an 11 (out of 10) for sheer inspired lunacy but it's the writers' unexpected fondness for their subject matter that puts the film in a class all its own.
10/18/08
The satire is ever so refreshingly played straight, is seemingly benign and dead-on funny.
06/03/06
This superb satire became the standard against which all mockumentaries are evaluated. The film was so successful that the fictitious group reunited for a series of live concerts and a TV special, further blurring the line between real and reel.
10/22/06
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