Review of This Is Spinal Tap (1984) by Jake R — 20 Dec 2009

Long before the idea of parody and satire had degenerated into the appalling crimes against humanity of the 'Movie' series, there was an element of sophistication in the focused lampoons of the movie world. Pioneered by Monty Python in combining satire with eye-brow raising levels of irreverance, 'This Is Spinal Tap' finds an almost perfect subject for ridicule. Sadly, it only does half the job.

For all its comic plaudits, 'Spinal Tap' chooses the wrong area to zone in on. The band themselves have all the grand posturing and drug-sparked ambition of heavy metallers Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath et al but they're missing one crucial element: ego. Not the misguided sense of self importance, that's there in spades, but the monstrous, overwhelming arrogance and craziness that has driven the heavy metal scene to its absurd heights. Despite the many references to Led Zeppelin they somehow missed this thrusting paean to machismo, and the band members are far too timid for their own good. Whether this is because it makes it easier to improvise or because it concentrates on the band's pathetic side is arguable.

That's another flaw: the band themselves are shit. Surely the funniest thing about rock is because despite its own insanity it still manages to be one of the most popular and likeable genres in music? Led Zeppelin ballooned into a grotesque parody of themselves by the late '70s yet still managed to be the most influential and important band in the world for a few more years; Spinal Tap are one of those meek clans of idiots who use their careers as some kind of sad mid-life crisis metaphor. In this respect hey've got more in common with those douchebags 'Anvil', or any number of modern indie bands where all their members are over 35.

Because of this it makes it bittersweet to laugh at such losers. Numerous scenes show the band deflated and defeated, and it ruins the sense of indestructible pompousness. And somehow this becomes infuriating, because it confines to that uniquely British quality of recognising how shit you are yet not having the dignity or maturity to give up. Why were Black Sabbath, Led Zep etc so popular in the States as well as the UK? Because, like Americans, they couldn't give a damn what people thought of them so long as they had fans and could play any music they wanted. Spinal Tap takes things too much to heart. Get over it guys.

As a result the film is far less funnier than all the swooning critics would have you believe. It works more as an actual movie with character journeys instead of a straight faced 'documentary'. Turn it up to 11, sure, whatever makes that nostalgia less painful.