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This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
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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... 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 SPINAL TAP practically birthed the mockumentary style. Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer are David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls, respectively--three clueless, self-absorbed men who form the nucleus of Spinal Tap, aging purveyors of overwrought songs with titles such as "Big Bottom," "Smell the Glove," and "Sex Farm." Shot in faux cinema verité-style with director Rob Reiner as fictional filmmaker Marty DiBergi, the film lampoons just about every rock & roll cliché (not to mention every rockumentary cliché) in the book as it follows these fallen rock idols from one disastrous gig to the next. Scenes of the tour's descent from desperation into total collapse are interspersed with interviews in which the band members delightfully prattle on inanely about the none-too-illustrious history and dubious vision of Spinal Tap. THIS IS SPINAL TAP is a striking and acutely hysterical directorial debut for Reiner and a deserved cult classic. Watch for an endless array of cameos by wonderful comic character actors along the way. [More]
Starring: Spinal Tap, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer
Starring: Spinal Tap, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Tony Hendra, Bruno Kirby, June Chadwick, Fran Drescher, Anjelica Huston, Ed Begley, Howard Hesseman, Billy Crystal, Paul Schaffer, Dana Carvey, Patrick Macnee
Director: Rob Reiner
Director: Rob Reiner
Screenwriter: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer
Producer: Karen Murphy
Reviews for This Is Spinal Tap
It stays so wickedly close to the subject that it is very nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.
A hilariously scathing indictment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and all the egoism and shallow philosophising that goes along with it.
The film is a composite of classic moments, all of which we sense could have happened to any of the classic heavy metal bands -- or at least to those whose members combined delusions of greatness with low I.Q.s.
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.
This Is Spinal Tapa comedy, but its consideration of the transience of fame and the band members' denial is ineffably and movingly sad.
...a superbly executed, whimsical fit of improvisation and cinema verite pastiche that so convincingly created an awful '70s-'80s heavy metal band that the band itself lived on beyond the movie.
Although the movie is hilarious, I think it is the undeniable human nature of the loser characters that has kept the movie alive for so long.
the bad-luck bad boys still don't disappoint in this ultimate roast of the music industry.
Latest News for This Is Spinal Tap
June 22, 2009:
Spinal Tap Is Back from the Dead ![]()
A quarter century after walking the fine line between clever and stupid, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are back together again as Spinal Tap, playing... More...
December 19, 2007:
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On Friday, you'll finally be able to see John C. Reilly take center stage. He'll be playing Dewey Cox in Walk Hard, an absurdist spoof on troubled musicians and the Hollywood... More...
April 27, 2007:
When Is A DVD Worth $400? A Look At Criterion Collectibles
When is a DVD worth $400? To DVD enthusiasts, it's when said disc is a rare Criterion white-ring issue of Pier Pasolini's 1975 film "Salo," which can go for upwards of... More...
August 16, 2006:
Character Actor Bruno Kirby, Dead at 57
You'd immediately recognize the face (and the voice) from movies like "City Slickers," "Good Morning Vietnam," and "When Harry Met Sally," but you... More...
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