The Doc' Rock that Rocks... to Eleven and Beyond!

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2017)

"Why don't you just make 10 louder, and make 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?"
I was so entranced by Nigel's enthusiastic description of his unique amplifier-model-that-goes-to-eleven that I almost failed to grasp the common sense in Marty Di Bergi's question. It's not about the number indeed but the acoustic referential to determine the degrees of loudness. But how can you teach such a flatly simple notion to someone who doesn't even let you point at the most precious item of his guitar collection.
But it's subtler than that, the joke isn't at Nigel's obliviousness but at the fact that his reaction doesn't come as a surprise, Marty's question is almost funnier in the way it makes us expect "something". And boy does it reward our expectations, Nigel doesn't even answer, he stops chewing his gum, marks a solemn pause and provides the iconic, laconic and self-sufficient "these go to eleven". Both scenes and quotes became staples of 80's comedy summing up what makes Rob Reiner's directorial debut "This is Spinal Tap" one of the all-time greatest comedies: it knows its subject and what's more, it knows the right attitude to 'amplify' the comedic effects (to eleven and beyond).
Everyone knows this is a film about a fictional rock band; the word 'fake' would be too misleading and even insulting. Spinal Tap might not belong to Rock'n'Roll canon, among the Beatles or the Rolling Stones but it's got something to say about rock, as a music, a spirit and a business. In fact, you might learn even more stuff about from this band than any documentary about a real group. And if I had to choose between learning with laughs or without, I'd rather have laughs. Who wouldn't? That's what makes the "eleven" scene so hilarious. Apart from the pedagogical value on the field of amplifiers, the way Christopher Guest delivers the quotes with that deadpan expression turns a rather banal quote into a punch-line of comedic genius. And all the movie works with the same mechanisms, David St Hubbins (Christopher McKean) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) are totally oblivious to the hilarity of their statements, all delivered in the most casual way.
That first scene alone is one of the highest summits of comedy and sets the tone of zaniness that will structure all the gags, from their first name "The Originals" to the first drummer (played by Ed Begley Jr.) who died in a freak accident, in fact every single drummer's accident is a try-not-to-laugh challenge where I fail every time. But again, it's not just the writing, mostly improvised, but also the acting, the documentary-like shooting allows many abrupt cuts and swiftly eluded moments where one couldn't keep a straight face.
Watching the band telling these anecdotes about a drummer choking in someone else's vomit ("which police can't dust off") or one that exploded suddenly is funny enough, but the face of Reiner repeatedly nodding as if it was really serious is the key to the film's enjoyment. And most of the gags involved the craziest situations where they all try to keep a straight face, Smalls being locked in a cocoon, the group lost backstage, and some verbal delights involving a sexist disc cover not to mention terrific cameos that include Fran Dresher, Bruno Kirby and Anjelica Huston.
And the film never forgets to rock as a doc as well, it follows all the details of a tour organization and the struggle of the manager played by Tony Hendra, to book a concert, a hotel suite, or deal with matters of size from bread that is too small for the ham or a Stonehedge replica risking to be crushed by two gig-dancing dwarfs (paraphrasing David). You have a gag that works in a tertiary tempo, the set-up when you know there's going to be trouble. Then you have the musical interlude where you wait for the majestic entrance of the replica and the reactions of the band (who didn't know). The film even provides a little icing on the cake with St Hubbins' final comment.
So, it might be improvised, but there's a sense of timing as acute and inspired as if it was used for music. The best compliment one can make to the film is that these guys are as good as musicians as they're comedians. And as far as I'm concerned, their music is credible enough to make the film feel real. And what makes the authenticity so palpable lies on these subtleties you notice after several viewings. The most delightful aspect involves the homoerotic subtext between Nigel and David (let's face It, Smalls is only slightly more famous than the drummers) and when Nigel's girlfriend comes in the picture, there's just something fading in Nigel it's actually touching.
"This is Spinal Tap" recreates the documentary feeling without resorting to cheap laughs. Near the end, there's even a sort of bittersweet feeling as their path comes to its logical conclusion, this might explain why many artists like Ozzie Osborne didn't actually laugh at it, that's how accurate it was. And the miracle of this film is to have provided powerful insights about rock business through a lousy and fictional band. But the film aged so well that no one would even use these adjectives to Spinal Tap, and rightfully so.
And that concludes my 1111th review for IMDb, seriously, what other film would have I picked for this occasion? And while you're here, you might check one of the polls I suggested a few years ago about four-word movie quotes, guess which movie took the 11th spot? Yeah, that's right!