This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Spinal Tap, the world's loudest band, is chronicled by hack documentarian Marty DeBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean,

Stars:

Rob Reiner, Kimberly Stringer, Michael McKean

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rob Reiner	...	Marty DiBergi
Kimberly Stringer	...	Heavy Metal Fan
Chazz Dominguez	...	Heavy Metal Fan
Shari Hall	...	Heavy Metal Fan
R.J. Parnell	...	Mick Shrimpton
David Kaff	...	Viv Savage
Tony Hendra	...	Ian Faith
Michael McKean	...	David St. Hubbins
Christopher Guest	...	Nigel Tufnel
Harry Shearer	...	Derek Smalls
Bruno Kirby	...	Tommy Pischedda
Jean Cromie	...	Ethereal Fan
Patrick Maher	...	New York M.C.
Ed Begley Jr.	...	John 'Stumpy' Pepys
Danny Kortchmar	...	Ronnie Pudding

Storyline

In 1982 legendary British heavy metal band Spinal Tap attempt an American comeback tour accompanied by a fan who is also a film-maker. The resulting documentary, interspersed with powerful performances of Tap's pivotal music and profound lyrics, candidly follows a rock group heading towards crisis, culminating in the infamous affair of the eighteen-inch-high Stonehenge stage prop.

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Plot Keywords:

band | heavy metal | stonehenge | rockumentary | satire | 

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Taglines:

Does for rock and roll what "The Sound of Music" did for hills

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

This is Spinal Tap®: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi

Filming Locations:

Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$55,854 (USA) (8 September 2000)

Gross:

$4,671,831 (USA) (6 October 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spinal Tap Prod.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.70 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the cast on the Criterion audio commentary, the production never left Los Angeles county for the shooting of the entire movie.

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Goofs

The band's tour goes from the Eastern USA to the Western USA. The scene of the band discussing the "zodiac" dress style at an airport is supposed to be set with the band somewhere around the midwest USA (since it is supposedly two hours to Colorado from there and they are touring from west to east), but they are clearly at the LOS ANGELES airport in this scene (identifiably by the "Theme Building" visible outside the terminal windows.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marty DiBergi: Hello; my name is Marty DiBergi. I'm a filmmaker. I make a lot of commercials. That little dog that chases the covered wagon underneath the sink? That was mine. In 1966, I went down to Greenwich Village, New York City to a rock club called Electric Banana. Don't look for it; it's not there anymore. But that night, I heard a band that for me redefined the word "rock and roll". I remember being knocked out by their... their exuberance, their raw power - and their punctuality. That ...

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Crazy Credits

Rob Reiner interviews all the members of the band.

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Bart's Friend Falls in Love (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Heavy Duty"
Written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner and Harry Shearer
Performed by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer

User Reviews

Should be on the Top 100 of all time

I have seen this movie more times than any other movie ever. When I was 12 or 13, my brother rented it and we watched it 3 times in the same day. At first, I hated it because I didn't know any better, and my brother never "helped" me figure out why it was funny. The second time I watched it, I "got it" and have never been the same person ever since.

First off, the entire film is ad-libbed except for the songs and a few lines; which is the reason that people are talking over each other a lot, requiring repeated viewings to catch everything. It is in documentary format, so it all works for this type of film. The songs are hysterical but catchy at the same time, just like real 80's arena rock and hair metal (well some of it). It certainly helps to be a fan of the rock genre to enjoy the film, or you will miss out on some significant references and the basis for each of the band members.

There are no dull moments in this brisk, 82-minute film, and the sheer number of hysterical cameos (including Fran Drescher, Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, Howard Hesseman, Paul Shaffer and Anjelica Huston) kicks the film up to 11 as they all put in stellar performances.

This film should be in the Top 100, no question. On my list, it would be in the Top 10. Of course, American History X is currently rated #41, so that tells you something about the IMDb rating system.