This Is Spinal Tap

Richard Hernandez13 said:The movie was officially recognized as 'culturally significant' and added to the National Film Registry. 🤣
Ever since watching This Is Spinal Tap, it’s impossible to watch any hard rock or metal band without cracking up.

It definitely earns that title. 😁...seriously, every single line in that flick is a classic. The funniest part is how much of it is actually true—and I don't just mean for the stadium acts, but even for those local garage bands you see playing dives 😁😁. I heard about some guy trying to run his setup on high-end gear with all the bells and whistles 🙂... meanwhile, my old rig has been held together by duct tape and prayers for years, and I know exactly when it's finally going to give up the ghost. If I tried to crank it all at once, the whole thing would probably just implode 😁😁

Exactly! If This Is Spinal Tap were actually distributed normally across America, you wouldn't have every amateur garage band in the suburbs claiming their single greatest achievement is being "the loudest band in the States." 😁

There are basically two ways to watch it:
- You've got the Criterion Collection release, which is your standard high-quality edition packed with all those great supplemental features and director commentaries
- And then there's the special MGM edition where you can actually hear the guys from Spinal Tap themselves doing the audio commentary 🤣

Richard Hernandez13 said:Exactly. Spot on. This Is Spinal Tap If there were an actual normal distribution in America, we wouldn't have every amateur garage band in the neighborhood thinking their biggest claim to fame is being "the loudest band in the States." 😁
There are two different versions of the movie out there.
Finally, one of those Criterion Collection releases that actually feels complete, packed with all the supplements and director commentaries you'd expect.
It’s a whole different ballgame when you get an MGM special edition where Spinal Tap actually do the audio commentary themselves. 🤣

I’m telling you, that documentary is just on another level. And don't even get me started on the part with the woman in the band. 🙏....
I'm going after that second edition. 🙂 😁😁

Haha, honestly...

I actually have a cousin who spent most of his high school years getting into scraps with all those "legendary" local garage bands around town ... and from what he tells me, he had pretty much the exact same experience when it came to having a woman in the lineup.

Man, I just remembered—once they start playing those outdoor festivals in the heat, the bassist is going to have a rough time. 🤣

I usually just watch movies solo—if something's funny, I'll laugh, simple as that

but man, I totally lost it. I was actually howling when they were stumbling around trying to find their way onto the stage 😁😁😁

Finally got around to watching it... It’s alright, I guess, but it didn't exactly blow my mind. I was actually starting to lose interest halfway through, but then that Stonehenge scene hit 🙂

Richard Hernandez13 said:Apparently, some Iron Maiden fans stormed out of the premiere because they thought the whole thing was just a parody of their band. 🤣

Those Maiden fans have always been morons! Easily the most pathetic band to ever exist!

IMDb
Trailer



Hands down, the greatest comedy ever made. One of those cult classics from Rob Reiner—he was on fire in the 80s. Not sure what happened to him after that. Probably too much coke on set. 🤷

A few legendary scenes.

Stonehage scene
These go to eleven....
Lost 🤣

A total prank played on the music industry. Legend has it this was just a massive joke aimed at that one Black Sabbath tour where they had Ian Gillan on vocals. That album is absolutely terrible. Whatever, it’s a brilliant comedy 😁

You know they still perform like this today 😁



Here's a deleted scene ape discussion 🙏

bluenomad2 said:You have to admit—even by today's standards, these guys are still performing 😁

Check out this deleted scene from the ape discussion 🙏

🤣 absolute geniuses.

Benjamin Thompson66 said:It’s such a brilliant prank on the music scene. Legend has it they were just mocking that one Black Sabbath tour where Ian Gillan was on vocals. That album is terrible. Whatever, still great comedy. 😁

thinking of a cover probably, because that album actually rocks. Tony is incapable of making bad music, seriously. ☕

Props to the mods🙂!
The downside is that merging threads still leaves you with just two pages, but that’s more of a conversation for a thread about weird phenomena...

This Is Spinal Tap is easily one of the most original movies ever made. It’s definitely not just some basic comedy meant for the masses—just like how rock 'n' roll isn't really a mainstream thing anymore, though whether it ever actually was is debatable...
On the other hand, the movie isn't just a parody of a documentary, specifically a rockumentary. I think they chose the mockumentary style to tell a bigger story about the decline of rock itself—tracing its fall from those golden '60s through the slow death crawl of the '80s. Nigel and David, basically Spinal Tap, represent the fading essence of rock 'n' roll. They’re just leftovers of what used to be a massive movement that united kids and gave them a way to rebel against the establishment. Imagine if Justin Bieber were calling for a revolt against corporate structures today... that would be a parody of reality...

To make sure the movie wasn't just a sad sob story about a dying genre, Rob Reiner stepped in. He was a rising talent back then, providing that fresh energy the '80s needed. His later work really cemented his reputation, though I won't count his recent stuff😁.
Reiner took an American tour by this once-huge (but fictional, depending on how you view the Spinal Tap brand) band and presented it through satire. That made it accessible even to people who might usually find actual music documentaries boring or unappealing...

He mentions analogies to bands like Slade, but honestly, I don't think he's referencing one specific group. It feels more like he's talking about a whole phenomenon created by countless bands...



There's a joke in almost every single scene... David and Nigel are kind of like John and Paul, just without any of the talent...😍 And bringing in David's girlfriend as a key player is clearly a nod to Yoko Ono...

dobly 🤣

The drummers, the driver who loves Sinatra, hearing they're big in Japan, turning the amp up to 11...😁.....



It's easily in my top 10 favorite movies, which pretty much says everything you need to know about the quality of Spinal Tap. The only smart comedy that could even come close is Allen's Love and Death (1975)...