The Rocky Mountain Collegian

April 26th, 2007

Gems – “This is Spinal Tap”

Rock and music aficionados, this one is for you!  This classic mockumentary (or as it is often referred to, “rockumentary”) directed by Rob Reiner essentially created the entire mockumentary genre (for those of you who don’t know, a mockumentary is simply a fake documentary).  With legends Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, “Spinal Tap” is hard to beat.  Some consider it one of the funniest movies ever made, which is a statement I agree with wholeheartedly.

The movie chronicles has-been British hair metal band Spinal Tap on their American comeback tour.  Rob Reiner plays the documentary director Marty DiBergi who follows the band on their tour.  Guest, McKean and Shearer are the band members and are all hilarious.  To get this movie, however, you really have to get into the right frame of mind.  Most of the humor is the sort that you don’t usually pick up on the first time you see it and much of it is very tongue-in-cheek.  That being said, every time I’ve seen this, I’ve enjoyed it more than the last.  There are memorable lines and scenes throughout that you’ve probably heard referenced before even if you haven’t seen the movie.

Take these sample Spinal Tap song titles: “Hell Hole,” “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight.” “Sex Farm.”

The lyrics are even better:

“Working on a sex farm
Trying to raise some hard love
Getting out my pitch fork
Poking your hay”

Blatantly suggestive 80s Cock Rock style lyrics at their finest.  These guys are hi-freaking-larious.

The whole production is completely convincing throughout.  If one didn’t know beforehand, one might actually believe that these guys were for real.  In fact, multiple hard rock artists have come out over the years and discussed this movie, suggesting that the events portrayed here are so close to the downfall of a real band that it might as well be real.  Again, I can’t stress enough that appreciating the mood and attitude is important while viewing this movie.  If you get into this one, you won’t regret it.

As previously stated, this is a must-view for all music fans.  If you aren’t into music (for shame!) then you may want to stay away from “Spinal Tap” as you will probably just see it as a waste of time.  Otherwise, go find it at a video store.  The antics of “Spinal Tap” will certainly make you smile.

(Keep an eye out for cameos from Fran Drescher, Billy Crystal, and Anjelica Huston!)

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