Review of This Is Spinal Tap (1984) by Kylie P — 28 May 2010

This Is Spinal Tap is truly a funny film, though its best laughs are likely gleaned from the first third. The film works because its no-holds-barred satire of everything in rock music, right down to the big metal hair and crazy excesses, is equal parts reverent and irreverent, passing its gentle swipes at the industry with subtly cutting edges in a truly ingeniously improvised fashion.

The funniest character and performance belongs to Guest's Nigel. In Spinal Tap, Nigel's wounded ego in addition to a slightly daft personality produces, hands-down, the most giggle-worthy scenes in the film, such as the scene in which Nigel is vexed by tiny bread for tiny sandwiches.

The film also works because there is an undeniable truth to the satire, even if the exercise is one of dabbling in the absurd. Another great scene is when the band discusses the possibility of having Stonehenge for a backdrop, and their set designer produces one miniature headstone that flies in during their highly-touted performance amidst smoke and flame.

The entire cast, though, is amazing because of their commitment to the characters. The main three play well off each other and manage convincing English accents (well, at least from McKean and Guest; not so much from Shearer). The slew of cameo actors adds quite a bit to the proceeding as well; Billy Crystal's turn as a mime attempting to explain his lot in mime life is comedy gold. Hey, mime is money, pal.

Still, the film meanders into some tediousness in the latter third, when Spinal Tap's inner tension is at its highest. The attempt to infuse melodrama into the band's dynamic dials the laughs down somewhat, especially since many real-life bands have broken up over less and amidst more hilarious antagonisms. Though the film is hysterical in its own right, it lacks a certain consistency in its hilarity that might otherwise have made the film perfect. Of course, the film's imperfection, inherently acknowledged in the way it was made, is sort of part of its charm.

In any event, the film, in what it was aiming to do, is still the funniest mockumentary of a fictional English rock band. Incidentally, one of the greatest parts about watching this film on DVD was the menu and the extras! There is a whole conversation had by the members of the band over the menu that is just about as funny as the rest of the film itself.