As long as I have the sex & drugs...I can do without rock & roll.

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2003)

This is one of those films that you can pick up different little subtleties with each consecutive viewing (I would say `The In-Laws' and `Dr. Strangelove' also fall within this class). I first saw Tap perform the hilarious `Christmas with the Devil' on Saturday Night Live around 1984 or so. As much as I liked that appearance, I didn't find this film particularly funny on my first viewing. Having seen this about - oh let's see - at least four times each year for the past 15 years, how is it that I've never, until just recently, noticed David's response to the argument over their latest album cover? Listen closely and you'll hear this:
David: `If we had said, 'yes, she should be forced to smell the glove,' then you'd have a point. But it's all just a joke, isn't it? We're making fun of that sort of thing!'
Nigel: `Well, she should be forced to smell the glove'
David: `Yeah, but just not over and over again.'
Or how about when Duke Fame's manager played by Howard Hessman dismissively tells the band `we'd really love to stand around and talk, but we've gotta get to the lobby and wait for our limo.'
Brilliant! Can I just lay some praise upon Christopher Guest's for a moment? I realize that he wasn't the only brainchild behind this comedy masterpiece, but he has got to be one the most amazing character actors/improv comedians around. He virtually disappears into the parts he plays, hardly resembling one character to the next. Ironically, his actual personal demeanor is extraordinarily mundane and dry - almost faceless in light of the performances he gives. His ensemble films of late (`Waiting for Guffman,' `Best In Show') - yes, mark my word! - are destined to be fondly remembered as comedy classics unto themselves in the years to come. His distinctive improvisation/mockumentary approach (seen in its infancy in `Spinal Tap') is reaching near-perfection at this point, and I can only hope that it continues with the remarkable line-up of players he has assembled over the years.
Funny, I actually had the opportunity to see Spinal Tap live in 1991 (1990?) while in Milwaukee and they were actually a lot better than many - if not most, come to think of it - legitimate bands I've seen over the years. They hilariously spoofed such clichÃ©s as the unplugged set, the gimmicky guitar solo, and the flying/superhero rock star (Nigel on uncooperative wires during the `Tonight (I'm Gonna Rock You)' opener). The boys all played their own instruments and handled their own vocals (natch), which begs the question: how much of a fake band is this anyway? Clearly, those who know the world they're spoofing the best are the ones most capable of writing the most effective satire.
As the Spinal Tap legacy has continued, the lines between art and reality have become blurred in some of the strangest & most creative, enjoyable ways. For those looking to delve deeper into the expanding farce, I suggest listening to commentary track on the DVD. It features Guest, McKean and Shearer as Spinal Tap giving their misguided take on the documentary they, surprisingly, found to be a `hatchet job' by filmmaker Marti DiBergi (Rob Reiner, by the way, poking fun at Scorsesse's presence in `The Last Waltz'). Among the other notables clearly chided: Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, Yoko Ono, The Troggs, Led Zeppelin and Kiss. As I said earlier, maybe you've gotta know this territory to play along with the gags. I would hate to think a movie this good would require such knowledge, but after reading some of the negative IMDB reviews I have to wonder.