This Is Spinal Tap

Rob Reiner, USA 1984, 82 minutes

Probably competing with Casablanca for the title of the most quoted film of all time, this seminal `80s comedy is widely recognised as a classic.

An obvious spoof of Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz, Spinal Tap is introduced as a "documentary, or if you will Rockumentary" and aims to "capture the sights, sounds, and smells of a hard working rock band on the road". In The Last Waltz it was The Band, but the hard working band in this case are Spinal Tap, a ludicrously overblown, pretentious English heavy metal outfit who are limping across America on the last leg of an ill-fated tour.

David St Hubbins, Nigel Tuffnell, and Derek Smalls form the hardcore, with drummers coming and going (well, dying in more and more spectacular fashion) as the mood takes them. Rob Reiner plays Marty DiBergi in a spot on lampoon of Scorsese, interviewing the band in intimate one-on-ones, trying to pin down the wellspring of their genius.

The all-American cast grunt and preen their way through the proceedings in a word perfect English accent (a rare thing indeed) and reproduce perfectly the sexist lyrics, flamboyant stage sets, petty bickering, and delusions of grandeur that accompany rock star status.

Truly a film of `moments' it is impossible to single out any as being funniest or most memorable, this is a film that will make you unable to ever look at Def Leppard without laughing again (if you could in the first place, that is).

"One of the funniest films of all time *****" - Empire

Review by Ben Stephens
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97