On March 2nd, 1984, Meathead himself, Rob Reiner, unleashed his infamous and unforgettable mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap upon an unsuspecting United States. While it didn’t exactly spark up the box office, critics were instantly hooked. They praised the film’s razor-sharp wit and its almost eerie, spot-on mimicry of the so-called professional music world. It fooled more than a few real-life rockers. Ozzy famously said he didn’t laugh when he saw it because it hit too close to home.
“We’re Spinal Tap from the U.K! You must be the USA!”
There’s absolutely no question that this is one of the blue ribbon comedies of the eighties, but it’s also one of the most perfectly structured comedy films of all time. And it just happens to feature some of the funniest people ever to grace the silver screen. The holy triumvirate of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are already brilliant on their own. In fact, they had formed the band well before their feature film debut. Those early sketches were great, but their chemistry here is untouchable. They’ve got flawless comedic timing, bone-dry delivery, and, just to show off, real musical talent.
Of course the film revolves around those three, but the rest of the cast is almost ridiculous. Fran Drescher, Ed Begley Jr., Billy Crystal, Fred Willard, Paul Shaffer, Anjelica Huston, Rob Reiner himself, and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Dana Carvey. Every one of them nails their character or their scene. There isn’t a single wasted appearance. It’s a stacked ensemble that blends together so well. Their ability to improvise is uncanny.
And that leads me into one of the most interesting aspects of the film: the fact that Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer didn’t use a traditional screenplay. They weren’t working off a script. The dialogue in this movie is completely improvised. Reiner would turn the camera on and let it roll, watching as the conversations naturally unfolded and gave these characters unexpected depth. And the crazy part is that it still comes together as a tight, competent film.
This flick tosses us straight into Spinal Tap’s disastrous 1982 U.S. tour, already imploding before the film even kicks off. Their new album, Smell the Glove, gets censored into oblivion, and from there it’s just one train wreck after another. We watch as this once-heralded British heavy metal band breaks apart in real time. And it’s oh so glorious. This cutting satire and sharp wit lampoons the bloated egos and boneheaded excess of the rock universe.
And the music? Legit. These songs are bangers. Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight, Big Bottom, Stonehenge. They don’t just parody the genre. They actually deliver. I’ve seen Spinal Tap tracks sneak onto real classic rock playlists without irony.
I grew up with this movie and spent a good chunk of my teen years around musicians and industry weirdos, and let me tell you, the accuracy is brutal. Reiner and the cast capture the absurdity, the delusion, and the petty drama of the music business in a way that feels weirdly documentary-adjacent. It’s why so many of my friends and I have quoted this thing into the ground. Whole scenes live rent-free in our heads. There are just too many iconic moments to count. The Boston college town line. The backstage maze. The harmonizing at Elvis’s grave. The amp that goes to eleven. The None More Black album cover. It’s joke after joke, moment after moment, all held together by actors who are fully committed to the bit. That’s the secret in the sauce. They never wink at the camera. They are Spinal Tap, even in the dumbest possible moments.
Christopher Guest would later carry this style into Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, but Spinal Tap is where it all begins. This is the blueprint. The sincerity, the niche world, the barely functional characters who still believe they’re legends. It all starts here.
And now here we are, 41 years later, with a new Spinal Tap movie dropping this year in 2025. You can't write that kind of irony. The ending of the original film, with the band debating whether to pack it up and fade away, hits differently when you realize they never did. They kept going. Just like the joke. And it’s still funny.
Should you watch This Is Spinal Tap?
Yes. Emphatically yes. If you’re a fan of rock, metal, satire, or just smart comedy, this one belongs in your blood. There are too many great lines and too many pitch-perfect moments. Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer created something timeless. Somehow, it only gets funnier as the years go on.
RottenPop gives This Is Spinal Tap four and a half drummers out of five.
First Screening: March 2nd, 1984 (Premier)
RottenPop Rating: ★★★★½
Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer
Cinematography: Peter Smokler
Starring: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Rob Reiner
Studios: The Saul Zaentz Company
Country: USA
Genres: Comedy Music
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