Still hilarious after two decades

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2004)

`This is Spinal Tap' was such a brilliant concept twenty years ago  a documentary about a fake rock band, that people thought (and some still think) that it is a `real' film. Unlike a lot of comedies to come out of the past two decades, the humor is still relevant and still as hilarious, long after the glam-rock and hair-band phases have (blissfully) passed us by  for the most part.
It's easy to categorize the primary actors by their seminal roles throughout the years, Michael McKean as Lenny, Harry Shearer as many voices on The Simpsons, and Christopher Guest as well, the guy in `Heartbeeps' I guess, but after having seen all of the Guest `mockumentaries' and revisiting `Spinal Tap' after catching bits and pieces throughout the years, their talent is undeniable. It's also testimony to the brilliance of the writing when one realizes how many jokes and site gags are still scattered in pop culture today  there were several cases where I thought, `So THAT'S where that came from!'
`This is Spinal Tap' is one of the funniest movies I've seen in the past twenty years, a high compliment from someone who doesn't find what generally passes as `comedy' funny unless it's from a film made prior to 1965 or a film directed by Woody Allen. If you haven't seen it yet, see it  and watch out for the DVD with the various trailers on it. The `Cheese Rolling' trailer is a riot.
--Shelly