Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest

A spoof about a filmmaker making a documentary about a once-famous, now almost forgotten British heavy metal band returning to the United States after 17 years for a concert tour.

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92% liked it

47,977 ratings

Critics

96% liked it

51 critics

R, 1 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Release Date: March 2, 1984

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DVD Release Date: July 14, 1998

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Stats: 8,749 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,749)


  • September 21, 2009
    This is Spinal Tap has to be credited as being the first ever mockumentary and its brilliantly done. It has been done better since though. Christopher Guest is a funny guy who pretty much invented a genres all by himself and for that I respect him but I can?t help but think he?s ...( read more)a one trick Pony and some of his Ponies are taller/faster/cuter/whatever than others!
  • September 8, 2009
    Great mock-rockumentary about the grandiloquence, stupidity and poor musical taste of the supposedly British heavy metal band Spinal Tap.
    Displaying one hilarious sketch after another, while this trio of social misfits meander all over the u.s in their "american tour"
    One more th...( read more)ing, the lyrics of most of their songs are hysterical.
  • August 5, 2009
    This Is Spinal Tap is brilliant on several levels. It is a hilarious comedy, the music is excellent, the concept is fantastic, and it is a wonderfully accurate spoof as well.

    The preparation which went into this film included going on tour with the band Saxon, which allegedly in...( read more)spired the superb sequence where the band gets lost backstage on tour. Although Status Quo claim the film was based on them, it was from the Saxon tour that much of the detail was taken.

    The characters, though, are quintessentially British. David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel (whose amplifiers go up to 11 instead of the usual 10) and Derek Smalls are archetypes of faded British rock musicians desperately trying to be cosmopolitan in an industry dominated by bigger, bolder, louder Americans.

    If you are a rock fan you will laugh long and loud at this film. If you are a British rock fan, you will laugh even louder. And watch out for the surreal Stonehenge sequence, which proves once and for all that standards of arithmetic teaching are not what they were....
  • April 5, 2009
    Spinal Tap followed the same path as all of those other British wave bands, starting out as happy disciples of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones only to end up in the 1970's and 1980's a devilish metal gods. They have gone over that hill, fighting for a spot on the charts and a ...( read more)slot on the shelves at K Mart.

    Rob Reiner directs this film parody of other rock band documentaries, namely The Last Waltz and the now obscure Let It Be. The film stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer as the core members of Spinal Tap, hamming their way through their Smell The Glove Tour of the United States. They're not as big as they used to be as their venues get smaller and smaller after failures galore. It's the last dance so to speak.

    What's great about This Is Spinal Tap is the fact that it's not as far out as you would think, especially looking at todays music scene. Today the parody is now reality. Reiner directs the film in guerrilla style just like a docu film crew lending to the credibility of the film and making people stand in line for imaginary Spinal Tap tickets. The three leads fall into their roles, talking idiotic pretentious talk that we have to wrap around our heads to make sense. That's what rock stars do- make their work seem bigger and more important than it appears.

    This Is Spinal Tap is the greatest rockumentary ever made, even though it's a parody of the genre. You can sit there laughing at the eccentricities of the characters, but if you've seen other real films of this vein you'll realize that most of it is not as absurd as it seems. But that's rock n' roll.
  • March 25, 2009
    Ahead of it's time.
    Not my favorite "Guest Film"...but definately a classic.
    And worth seeing if you enjoy his films.
  • October 29, 2009
    !Comercial or Stupid! :|
  • October 24, 2009
    The original 'Mock'umentary. Very funny!
  • October 14, 2009
    I saw it becasue I had to.
  • September 22, 2009
    good comic movie of hard rock
  • September 20, 2009
    One of Rob Reiner's finest and most hilarious documentary-type flick. Unexpectedly great; a pleasant surprise.

    89/100

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The satire has a deft, wicked touch. full review

View more This Is Spinal Tap reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • SadisticMinister
    May 24, 2008
    In the topsy-turvy world of heavy rock, having a good solid piece of wood in your hand is often useful.
  • solitaire645
    November 13, 2007
    NO WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO FUCKING STONEHENGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • deadbaboon2002
    June 25, 2007
    It was in danger of being stepped on by a dwarf!!!
  • andothepear
    June 12, 2007
    Can I raise a practical question at this point? Are we gonna do "Stonehenge" tomorrow?
  • Duder37
    June 7, 2007
    well 11 is louder than 10

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This Is Spinal Tap Trivia


  • Name the classic Christopher Guest film that this sound clip is from  Answer »
  • What movie is the following audio clip taken from?  Answer »
  • ****What Movie Does This Qoute Come From **** It's part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.  Answer »
  • name the movie this quote is from? (1984) ‘You can’t really dust for vomit.’ – Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest)   Answer »

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