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Spinal Tap

Rob Reiner (Actor), Michael McKean (Actor), Rob Reiner (Director) | Rated: R (Restricted) | Format: VHS Tape
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (202 customer reviews)

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Product Description

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Director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) solemnly alerts us to the glory that was Spinal Tap in his introduction to this "rockumentary" about the legendary British heavy-metal group, featuring lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), lead singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and a succession of drummers whose careers were cut short by spontaneously combusting on their stool, drowning in somebody else's vomit, or otherwise perishing in untimely fashion. Under DiBergi's studious interrogation, the band and their familiars retrace the band's evolution from head-bopping Mersey Beat poseurs to head-banging metal poseurs, each change in musical direction or tonsorial chic having little effect on the surviving trio's sublime idiocy. For, as St. Hubbins (he's the "deep" one, relatively speaking) sagely observes, "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever."

Happily for us, director Reiner, who developed the underlying story line with Guest and former Credibility Gap pranksters McKean and Shearer, stays squarely on the right side of the line, even as his writer-actors remain hilariously trapped on the other side. In lieu of a formal shooting script, the quartet created an extensive and detailed band history ripe with the sort of dead-pan detail that hard-core rock historians and screwball aficionados will savor on countless replays; with the three Tap members also musicians themselves, the "band" developed its stage act under the unsuspecting noses of L.A. club denizens, who accepted them as just as loud, flashy, sexist, and obvious as any other mullet-tressed, leather-garbed brigade of guitar slingers, circa 1984. The resulting footage thus manages to lob its punch lines and build its characters (including some thinly veiled character assassinations of various industry folks) with a loose, tossed-away verve rooted in the improvisational approach. This Is Spinal Tap remains the funniest, and most truthful, look at rock culture ever filmed and a personal best for all involved. --Sam Sutherland

Additional Features

Featuring a new digital transfer and a remixed stereo soundtrack, the "Special Edition" also includes nearly five minutes of outtakes and "Bitch School," the rarely seen music video banned by MTV.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
Big and stupid. And clever. VERY, VERY clever. July 6 2004
Format:DVD
Alright, I'm not going to bore you with the details or story of this sublime Reiner "documentary," nor am I going to babble on and on about how spot-on a parody of NWOBHM (that's "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal" to the uninitiated) this is.

Instead, I will offer you some quotes. Those alone should give you plenty of insight as to why this is one of the greatest movies of all time. To wit:

"Oh, there actually is, uh... there was a Saint Hubbins?"
"That's right, yes."
"What was he the saint of?"
"He was the patron saint of quality footwear."

"You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of..."
"What do you call this?"
"Well, this piece is called "Lick My Love Pump".

"As long as there's, you know, sex and drugs, I can do without the rock and roll."

"Here lies David St. Hubbins... and why not?"

"Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported."

"It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."

"We are Spinal Tap from the UK - you must be the USA!"

"You can't really dust for vomit."

"This pretentious ponderous collection of religious rock psalms is enough to prompt the question, 'What day did the Lord create Spinal Tap, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?'"

And of course: "Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
"These go to eleven."

Not laughing? Well, the visuals are even funnier--malfunctioning stage props, a guitar solo that probably singlehandedly gave birth to the "neo-classical" shred style, unique ways to use a violin, and of course lots and lots of retarded sexuality and bad poetry. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Derek Shearer absolutely NAIL it. Everybody should have this film. Especially metalheads who aren't afraid to have a good, long laugh at themselves.

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this is funny Mar 5 2010
By falcon TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
and clever and relevant and probably spot on in regards to how some people in the music and entertainment industry act.i loved the British accents ,and some of the gags are just too funny.the motley mix of characters are also great.the music actually isn't too bad sometimes,though i suspect that's probably unintentional.usually it's dog awful,and very funny which i think it's supposed to be.for a movie that's a quarter century old,you'd think it would feel dated,but i didn't think so at all.a lot of that is probably due to the writing of Christopher Guest and Michael McKean.for me,This is Spinal Tap is a well deserved 5/5)
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Fantastic July 16 2004
Format:DVD
The classic This is Spinal Tap is truly the greatest depiction of a rock band in cinematic history. I remember watching this for the first time with my buddies...everything thats happened in this movie has happened to me. The guy getting stuck in the pod, the tour dates being cancelled, playing under a puppet show, all of it!! And my buddies are sitting there laughing and Im like....this isnt funny. And THATS what makes the movie so great.....its SO realistic.

The definitive rock and roll band movie.....get it today!!

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Most recent customer reviews
Rockin' and Mockin'
When this film was originally released, its targets were hard rock bands like Whitesnake and Dio, along with overly pretentious concert films like The Last Waltz and Song Remains... Read more
Published on July 4 2004 by Danno
BY FAR..
the greatest movie ever. i love this movie soo much. thank. out of one to 5 stars, i'D GIVE IT ELEVEN!
Published on July 1 2004
This review goes to ELEVEN (stars)...
Its ONE star louder.

Classic movie and the humor is timeless.

Its funny that there are so many people today that don't realize that "Spinal Tap" began as a total... Read more

Published on Jun 23 2004
Dated farsical gods...
I'm not giving this film 3 stars as a comedy but actually as a serious film. What??? Well, here's the thing: I watched "This is Spinal Tap" in 2004. Read more
Published on Jun 3 2004 by Takis Tz.
Great movie -- Criterion vs. Special below
Hilarious! I too was curious about the difference between this special edition and the criterion version, so I did a little internet research and found an entire page devoted to... Read more
Published on May 26 2004
Flawless
The Special Edition release of This is Spinal Tap packs a lot of extras--really too many to describe in a review. Read more
Published on May 26 2004
Dead-Pan Humor and Criticism of Rock Culture At Its Finest
_This is Spinal Tap_ is a very funny, very original comedy that centers on the idea of a fake "rockumentary" of a fading British heavy-metal group. Read more
Published on May 15 2004 by Daniel R. Sanderman
Is Anyone Able to Offer an Informed Comparison?
We KNOW this is one of the funniest films ever made (particularly to those of us who grew up watching Hullabaloo and Shindig). Read more
Published on May 12 2004
but this one goes to 11
What can ya say about Spinal Tap? You either love the movie, or hate it! Theres no in between's. This Rock or should i say MockUmentry is the funniest one out there. Read more
Published on May 12 2004 by Micheal Hunt
Comedy Classic!
"This is Spinal Tap" is one of the most original, subtle, hilarious movies you will ever see, and offers more great quotes than any film this side of "Fletch. Read more
Published on May 4 2004 by Scott Schiefelbein
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