THIS IS SPINAL TAP A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ****
THIS IS SPINAL TAP, the original mockumentary being re-released to theaters and with a new DVD out, has been called one of the funniest movies ever made, an accolade with which I wouldn't argue. Still, it has a wonderfully droll sense of humor that may not appeal to everyone. Audiences at the film's initial test screens back in the early 1980s were quite negative. They didn't understand that the film was satirizing rock documentaries, so they complained that the filmmakers should have found a better band or a less obscure one. Of course, the band, which mimics bad-boy groups like KISS, is a fictional one, not an obscure one, and it is supposed to be awful.
Directed by Rob Reiner, who plays fictional documentarian Marty DiBergi, THIS IS SPINAL TAP is a deliciously witty comedy that mocks the world of rock. Reiner shares the writing credits with Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, who play lead guitarists Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins, and with Harry Shearer, who plays bass guitarist Derek Smalls. The entire film is an ensemble piece with a terrific supporting cast which includes Billy Crystal, as a loquacious mime, and Fran Drescher, as a pompous party hostess. Guest, of course, went on to become the king of mockumentaries as the writer and director of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN as well as his most recent effort, the marvelously funny BEST IN SHOW.
THIS IS SPINAL TAP includes some hokey old black-and-white television clips of the band when they were just a bunch of dorky boys with bowl haircuts, light-years from their current long-haired sophistication. Quite an informative documentary, we learn that the group's first name was "The Originals" until they found out that some other group had that name. They changed their name to "The New Originals," so as not to conflict, but the original Originals changed their name too. And so forth. (I saw the movie at a theater across the street from a restaurant called "Original Joe's," but let's not go down that path.)
The movie follows the band on a disastrous tour of the United States, as cancellations abound. Playing in tiny halls, the group's manager, Ian Faith (Tony Hendra), does his best to put a positive spin on low attendance. "The band's appeal is becoming more selective," he explains to Marty.
The beauty of the acting is the way everyone treats the story with deadpan seriousness. When shown music critics' reviews of their work that include words like "ponderous," "pretentious" and much worse, their only reaction is that their detractors are just "nit-picking."
In a film this funny it is hard to pick out favorite parts, but two have become comedy classics. When asked the secret of their success, Nigel points to the band's amps. Known as the loudest band around, Spinal Tap has amplifiers whose dials go to 11, whereas others only go to 10. Marty tries to point out the logical flaws of this to Nigel, but he might as well have been talking to the proverbial wall.
The other incident of monumental merit involves a little known scientific fact about human combustion. For some reason the band's drummer position is jinxed. Their first drummer died in a tragic and mysterious gardening accident that the police recommended against investigating. Their most dramatic drummer death occurred on stage, as the lad exploded, leaving only a small stain behind. Calmly and earnestly, David tells Marty, "Dozens of people spontaneously combust every year, it's just not widely reported." Quite a science lesson.
It's too bad they didn't make a sequel. The band sketched out some of their plans for the future with the centerpiece being a rock opera about Jack the Ripper. It could have been even bigger and "better" than "Springtime for Hitler" from THE PRODUCERS.
THIS IS SPINAL TAP runs a fast 1:22. It is rated R for language and would be fine for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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