This rating goes up to 11!

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2006)

Before Rob Reiner slumped into a neverending stream of mediocre films, he reigned supreme in the 80s with classics like Stand By Me and The Princess Bride. His only worthwhile films in the 90s are Misery and The American President. But his first film had him at the top of his game, one of his very best, the classic heavy metal spoof documentary This Is Spinal Tap.
I was shocked to discover that recently TIST had been knocked off the IMDb top 250. What a sucker punch that was! How could a comedy masterpiece like TIST be treated this way? I decided to write a review about a film that has become not only one of my favourite comedies of the 80s, but also of all time.
Reiner directs and stars as the cheesy hack film-maker Marty DiBergi. He has decided to make a documentary (rockumentary) about his favourite heavy metal rock band Spinal Tap. If his film-making talent is on a par with his taste in rock bands then we could be in serious trouble.
DiBergi was attracted to Spinal Tap because of their unusual loudness (any self-respecting Tap fan will know what that means) and has tracked them down while they're about to conduct their first tour of America in six years.
The band is made up of lead guitar David St.Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest, also lead guitar, never could figure that one out) and on bass Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). I won't bother saying who their drummer is since they're never around for long. 32 drummers now and counting!
Shot in the style of actual documentaries, the film follows Spinal Tap on their tour of America, and how the band gradually comes unravelled through one disaster after another. What Spinal Tap don't realise is they're time has come and gone. A fact that gets pointed out to them on more than one occasion. But they're too wrapped up in their dwindling gigs and groupies to notice.
Their latest album, 'Smell the Glove' isn't selling because it's too sexist. Gigs are cancelled one after another. Props tend to malfunction at inopportune times (the pod scene is a classic example of comedy timing), and things eventually get so bad that the manager even quits.
Behind all the sharp satire and deft characterisation there is an actual serious story going on. There is quite a bit of poignancy to these three innocent souls who fail to realise their time is up. The film also fills in the details of how the band was formed. Beginning as a folk band, then they made the switch to flower power, and eventually transformed into heavy metal. None of their songs are good no matter what they try.
There is also quite a bit of subtlety to the dynamics that drive the film. Things are never overtly spelt out for the audience, and it doesn't insult them either. We are observers just like DiBergi is, and we often catch on to things before the cast-members do. That is never more evident than the relationship between David and Nigel.
David has a girlfriend, Jeanine, and she has joined the band on their tour. When you watch these scenes, keep your eyes on Nigel. Without any words at all, we can see what is going through his mind. David & Nigel have been friends for years, but Nigel clearly wants more from their relationship, even though David hasn't got a clue. I didn't notice that at first, and I assumed Nigel's behaviour was because he didn't like how Jeanine was running the band (Yoko Ono anyone!). Watch the scene where Nigel storms off, but as he leaves, his eyes shoot daggers at Jeanine. The audience gets the message. Loud and clear.
That is one of the things that makes TIST such an enduring and consistently entertaining film. The little things. There are tiny details everywhere. Usually just a little off camera. Every frame tells a story, like the broken TV in the background that has been smashed by the manager. We don't see it happening, but we get the idea.
There are so many memorable scenes, like Nigel's amplifiers that go up to 11, the band getting lost on the way to their own concerts, (since we never see that particular concert one wonders if they actually found their way to the stage) and the best part being the Stonehenge production number. A model of Stonehenge is lowered on stage, but an error in scale turns the concert into a fiasco. What makes it hilarious is the fact we were privy to the mistake before the band members were. The looks on their faces are priceless.
The members of Spinal Tap, McKean, Guest and Shearer are all American, but all have authentic English accents that blew me away. The dialogue was mostly improvised and the film is all the better for it, and you always notice something different every time. In my last viewing I noticed Nigel is almost never seen without chewing gum. And Christopher Guest enjoyed the documentary style of film-making so much, he adopted it for some of his own films Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show and A Mighty Wind.
TIST ends on an optimistic note, with the Japanese coming to their rescue. And despite the fact their music is terrible, its hard not to smile at the end with them giving all they've got. Which, of course, is not much. It is a genuinely moving scene when Nigel and David make up for the good of the band.
There are cameos from Anjelica Huston, Billy Crystal, Patrick Macnee. The joys are endless. This Is Spinal Tap is not only an hilarious satire on the pitfalls of heavy metal, but also a moving portrayal of a rock band's fantasy that still believes they're on top, when they're anything but.
Long live Spinal Tap!