I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not really that much into comedies…except for This Is Spinal Tap.
I mean, I WATCH comedies (all kinds, too, like the best romantic comedies, stoner comedies, and I have a particular fondness for horror comedies), but it’s not really a genre that I would consider myself an expert in. I think a big part of this is that I like to rewatch movies, and for the most part, comedies just don’t do it for me on repeat viewings. Sure, there are some that still hold up for me, but that’s mostly because they’re good movies in general – like Ghostbusters – and I like them for other reasons besides the humor.
However, no matter how many times I watch 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, I laugh every time. A sequel is coming out soon, so I thought I’d rewatch it for the umpteenth time, and much like the band itself, it still rocks. Here’s why this comedy is still the funniest movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
is filmed like a documentary, but it pokes fun at the medium, and often in a straight-faced manner. One calling card (though it doesn’t have to be) is the single cam approach that was popularized in shows like The Office, Modern Family, and Parks and Recreation, just to name a few.
In these shows, you’ll often see moments where the characters speak directly to the camera as if they’re being interviewed, with many of the best punchlines being in these sections. I love shows like this, but the film that truly made this style work is This Is Spinal Tap, and I think it’s because its documentarian, played by the film’s director, Rob Reiner, does such a good job of making it all seem real.
If you’ve never seen the film before, the story follows “one of England’s loudest bands” as we see their rise, fall, and rise again over the course of 82 minutes. Reiner plays Martin “Marty” Di Bergi and he’s following the band for their 1982 American tour as they try to promote their new album, Smell the Glove, which has such an offensive cover that it has to be made all black.
The story primarily follows the three main band members, David St. Hubbins (lead guitar), Nigel Tufnel (ALSO lead guitar), and Derek Smalls (bass), played by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer, respectively. As a dedicated fan of The Simpsons (who has since gotten his daughter into the show), learning that the voices of Ned Flanders, Montgomery Burns, and Otto, just to name a few, also played bass for Spinal Tap was one of the highlights of my youth. It also made sense, given how hilarious he is as the dimwitted Derek (who isn’t as well endowed as he’d like you to believe).
In the end, the film makes me laugh every time I watch it because it feels like a real documentary, just like every good mockumentary should.
talking about Sammy Davis Jr. – makes me laugh. It’s like, every actor gets something memorable to say, and even if it’s only a single line, that single line is one of the best in the movie.
For example, one of my favorite characters is the band’s manager, Ian, who’s always trying to make it sound like everything’s fine, even when it’s not. My favorite scene of his is the one where he quits and complains that David’s girlfriend is dressed like “an Australian’s nightmare.”
I could go on and on, but the single funniest moment I’ve ever seen in any movie ever is also in this film, which I’ll get into next.
the album reviews scene, I was laughing so hard that my friend had to pause the movie and rewind because he couldn’t hear due to my laughter.
It’s just SO funny. I think a lot of the credit has to go to Reiner, who’s reading lines like, “What day did the Lord create Spinal Tap, and couldn’t He have rested on that day, too?” in such a straightforward manner that it just brings tears to my eyes.
It seems I’m not alone either, as McKean (who looks completely different from his Better Call Saul character, Chuck McGill) appears to be laughing in the entire scene as well.
In fact, when Martin reads the two word review for their album, Shark Sandwich (“Shit Sandwich”), they’re all laughing as they comment, “Where’d they print that?”
Oh, man. My friend had to say, “Shut up!” when I wouldn’t stop laughing after that part, but I just couldn’t help it. God, I love this movie.
my favorite rap movies? It’s 1993’s CB4, which is like a rap version of Spinal Tap. What I love about it is that even though CB4 isn’t a real group, a lot of the “comedy” in the film is referencing real things that were going on in the industry at the time. The same could be said of Spinal Tap, which was like a mirror when it came to metal in the ‘80s.
For example, even though the film was more prescient than reactionary when it came to the whole Stonehenge incident that would later occur to Black Sabbath, the fact that art seemed to imitate life just goes to show that even though the film is fictional, they had their finger on the pulse at the time.
Mostly, it’s the many little things that make this movie feel like it’s really channeling other bands. Like the fact that Spinal Tap’s drummers keep dying, which was a genuine occurrence when you think about the passing of drummers like John Bonham and Keith Moon.
Or, how about the lead singer’s girlfriend breaking up the band, a la Yoko Ono (or so people like to believe). Like many bands, Spinal Tap does break up, with the remaining members going all experimental with a “jazz odyssey,” which is reminiscent of other bands having to change their whole sound once a key member left.
I mean, it’s a funny movie regardless, but it’s even funnier if you enjoy rock music of the era. Although, there’s one last thing that makes this the funniest movie ever for me.
Oh, how I miss commentary tracks!
Back when I used to buy DVDs regularly, one of the things I would always look for was if there was a commentary track, because I love learning more about the movie I just saw from the people who were involved with it. You’d normally hear people like the director, actors, or the screenwriter discussing the film, but Spinal Tap is different.
In this commentary track, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer are all IN CHARACTER, and they’re actually complaining about the film getting it all wrong.
I love when they start talking smack about Martin, or how they say things are made up and that they didn’t really happen.
It’s honestly like a second movie, and maybe even funnier than the actual film. It’s for all these reasons that This Is Spinal Tap is still the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.