First released in March 1984, this movie was directed by Rob Reiner and starred Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Fran Drescher, Bruno Kirby, Dana Carvey, Paul Schaffer, Anjelica Huston and Billy Crystal. Rated R, this 82-minute comedy is a mock documentary film about a fictional heavy metal band called “Spinal Tap.” The movie makes big fun out of the over-the-top behavior of musicians, especially those in early 80s heavy metal and hard rock bands.
This movie more than lived up to its advance billing because I thought it was one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Almost all of the musicians speak with fake British accents throughout the movie and ad libbed much of the dialogue. I actually laughed so hard a couple of times that my stomach started hurting, and my eyes started watering.
However, the movie was so artfully done that if you didn’t know any better you could have thought that you were watching a legit documentary about a real 80s heavy metal band. I actually read somewhere that when Ozzy Osbourne first watched the movie he realized that he was the only person not laughing because he thought it was a real documentary.
“This Is Spinal Tap” is a movie that I’ve heard a lot over the years, and it’s on a lot of “best of” lists. Entertainment Weekly ranked it No. 1 on its list of “Top 50 Cult Films of All Time” and also placed it on its list of “The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.” In 2008, Empire ranked the movie at No. 48 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.”
In 2011, Time Out London named “This Is Spinal Tap” as the “best comedy film of all time.” In 2010, Total Film also placed the movie on its list of “The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.” In 2006, Premiere Magazine also named “This Is Spinal Tap” to its list of “50 Greatest Comedies of All Time.”
In 2002, the Library of Congress also selected “This Is Spinal Tap” for inclusion in its prestigious “National Film Registry.” The New York Times also placed “This Is Spinal Tap” on its list of “The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.”
If you’d like to watch “This Is Spinal Tap,” you can watch it instantly through NetFlix, which also has it available as a DVD selection. The movie’s less than an hour and a half long, and you won’t be disappointed. I thought it was time well spent, and I’ll probably watch it again sometime soon just to see if I missed anything the first time.
In the end, how many of you have seen this movie? What did you think about it? What was your favorite part? Let us know in the comments section below.
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