This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Directed by: Rob Reiner | 80 minutes | comedy, music | Actors: Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, June Chadwick, Tony Hendra, Bruno Kirby, Rob Reiner, Kimberly Stringer, Chazz Dominguez, Shari Hall, RJ Parnell, David Kaff, Jean Cromie, Patrick Maher, Ed Begley Jr., Danny Kortchmar

This “Mockumentary” (of a “Rockumentary”) has won legions of fans since its release in 1984. It’s not hard to see why: it’s an often funny movie with plenty of quoteable dialogue, poking fun at rock stars on the rise while creating and sustaining an almost lifelike rock band. The film from director Rob Reiner, no stranger to comedy (“The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally”), has taken an interesting approach. He filmed the actors for many hours as their characters, in order to appear as authentic as possible in the final film, and to be able to go back to “archive images” and the like.

In terms of tone, the film balances on the edge of satire and sincere documentary. You can clearly see that it is meant to be funny, but you have to get the feeling that this could be (almost) a real band and documentary. The film is to be commended for the degree to which this approach has been successful. However, it is difficult to maintain this subtle form of comedy constantly. Sometimes this delicate balance is slightly disturbed, which has various consequences. In the rare moments when the film gets too serious, the film is often less interesting, on the one hand because of the simple characters and on the other hand because of the (lack of) story. However, when the comedy is overdone, the overall tone is broken, making you see and pull out the construction of the film.

The first twenty to thirty minutes of the film work very well, apart from the obviously funny preface by director Rob Reiner himself, who here takes on the role of documentary maker Marty Di Bergi. You get to know the naive, enthusiastic band members in a funny, but at the same time authentic and therefore disarming way. The humor here comes mainly from their serious performances, and the situations and stories of the men. We learn that the band’s first name was “The Originals”, but that there was already a band by that name, and that’s why they became “The New Originals”. The lyrics and outfit of the band members when they’re on stage are very entertaining, with their long hair and tight pants (with the camera often emphasizing their crotch). As far as music and convictions are concerned, the band does indeed differ little from similar bands that actually exist (from the eighties, nineties). It is also easy to imagine that the complications outside the stage also take place in reality. The mutual struggles, the rock star pretensions, quarrels with managers and record labels, quasi-philosophical musings, it all has a certain lifelike resonance.

The band has become known as the loudest band in Britain, but we can see that they didn’t start out that way. In the beginning it was all cute flower power music. The old images we see of the band are hilarious, with performances of songs like “Listen to the Flower People”, with matching flowery decor and clumsy movements.

Their album titles are also amusing, such as “Intravenus de Milo” and “Smell the Glove”. The production of the cover of this latest album has been accompanied by some controversy. The image on the cover is said to be too offensive and sexist, which Nigel doesn’t understand. What’s wrong with “sexy”? Incidentally, the image features a greased naked woman, on all fours, with a collar and leash held by a male hand, pushing a glove into her face.

While the tone of the film is mostly comical, it’s also sad to see how this band has clearly seen better days in terms of success, but doesn’t see or want to see it for themselves. You get an ambiguous feeling when nobody shows up for a book signing; when they think they are recognized by an enthusiastic fan, but then it turns out that she approaches another musician; or when a Spinal Tap performance is planned together with a puppet show, and is not even mentioned first. Then you have something to do with them anyway.

Most of the complications are amusing and fascinating to watch, but it is a bit too brief for a full-fledged feature film. Therefore, towards the end of the film, one last conflict situation is constructed, by having a band member resign. This plot twist creates some tension and drama, which can finally be completed in a satisfying way, providing a clear ending to the film. On the one hand it works well as a lock, but as a viewer you are aware of the cinematic construction. Also, the film as a whole still lacks some substance.