This is Spinal Tap

This is Spinal Tap (1984), the first in a string of mockumentaries penned by Christopher Guest, is a film that balances on the edge of a knife. Guest and director Rob Reiner aim to lampoon the hard rock scene of the early '80s, but at the same time, they wanted the portrayal of Spinal Tap to be realistic enough that an audience might mistake them for a real band. And some audiences did, so count Guest and Reiner winners in that category.

Of course, it helps that Spinal Tap was basically the first mock rockumentary to grace the silver screen. Most audiences would have had no reason to believe that Spinal Tap was nothing other than the real thing. Other than the dead giveaway of Rob Reiner playing the ersatz documentarian Marty DiBergi.

As far as laughs are concerned, there are quite a few, as the camera follow the on- and off-stage antics of the aging British rockers of Spinal Tap and their last-ditch rag-tag American concert tour. Spinal Tap is past their prime. They know it. Their fans know. Their manager knows it. But they all try like hell not to show it, and to breathe a little life into their lackluster latest album (whose cover is an all-black spin on the Beatles' White Album!). Along the way, concerts are cancelled, and tensions within the band come to the breaking point when front-man David St. Huggins' girlfriend decides to join the tour.

The acting in this film is superb, and the comedy, for the most part, is character-driven and subtly satirical. The actors play their parts just up to the point of over-the-top, but never actually over that proverbial top. And look for cameos galore in this movie, including Fran Drescher, Anjelica Huston, Paul Schaffer, Fred Willard, and Billy Crystal and Dana Carvey as a couple of mime waiters (you just kinda have to see it).

Spinal Tap's music, which is pretty much the score to the film, is hilariously absurd rock opera, the unholy lovechild of Ween, Meatloaf, and Led Zeppelin, if you can imagine that. A sample of the lyrics from "Big Bottom" should help:

The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'
That's what I said
The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand
Or so I have read

My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo
I'd like to sink her with my pink torpedo

And each performance becomes more absurd than the last, culminating in a show featuring Druid dwarves and a diminutive Stonehenge. Did I say back there that the comedy was subtle? Well, I guess the comedic acting is a subtle counterpoint to hilariously absurd situations.

NOTE: From here on out, in addition to the final rating, I'm going to be giving a rating breakdown as well.

Storyline and plot: 7/10

Cinematography and effects: 8/10

Music and mood: 8/10

Performaces: 9/10

The Reverend says: 7/10