Review – This Is Spinal Tap

Here we have the ultimate rockumentary parody, the one that all others are ultimately judged against (and usually found wanting). Even audience members unfamiliar with some or even most of the bands being mocked should nonetheless be able to thoroughly enjoy the clever humor that runs at a constant high level throughout (though, as one of the characters observes, “there’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.”) Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Schearer play the three lead members of a British heavy metal band that meets with mixed results during a concert tour of the United States. Several of the key scenes (particularly the “Stonehenge” sequence) are so funny and so popular that they’ve become comedy clichés. Though the guys tried to keep the gag running in subsequent projects, Spinal Tap never produced anything else that matches the entertainment value of the original. The DVD includes some funny, unused scenes and several other extras. Buy the disc