This Is Spinal Tap

March. 02,1984      R
Rating:
7.9
Trailer Synopsis Cast

"This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.

Christopher Guest as  Nigel Tufnel
Michael McKean as  David St. Hubbins
Harry Shearer as  Derek Smalls
Rob Reiner as  Marty DiBergi
June Chadwick as  Jeanine Pettibone
Bruno Kirby as  Tommy Pischedda
Ed Begley Jr. as  John 'Stumpy' Pepys
Fran Drescher as  Bobbi Flekman
Dana Carvey as  Mime Waiter
Sandy Helberg as  Angelo DiMentibelio

Similar titles

Operation Avalanche
Prime Video
Operation Avalanche
In 1967, four undercover CIA agents were sent to NASA posing as a documentary film crew. What they discovered led to one of the biggest conspiracies in American history.
Operation Avalanche 2016
Cars
Disney+
Cars
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.
Cars 2006
Galaxy Quest
Prime Video
Galaxy Quest
For four years, the courageous crew of the NSEA protector - "Commander Peter Quincy Taggart" (Tim Allen), "Lt. Tawny Madison (Sigourney Weaver) and "Dr.Lazarus" (Alan Rickman) - set off on a thrilling and often dangerous mission in space...and then their series was cancelled! Now, twenty years later, aliens under attack have mistaken the Galaxy Quest television transmissions for "historical documents" and beam up the crew of has-been actors to save the universe. With no script, no director and no clue, the actors must turn in the performances of their lives.
Galaxy Quest 1999
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Prime Video
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop the nuclear strike.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1964
Lethal Weapon 3
Max
Lethal Weapon 3
Archetypal buddy cops Riggs and Murtaugh are back for another round of high-stakes action, this time setting their collective sights on bringing down a former Los Angeles police lieutenant turned black market weapons dealer. Lorna Cole joins as the beautiful yet hardnosed internal affairs sergeant who catches Riggs's eye.
Lethal Weapon 3 1992
Spaceballs
Prime Video
Spaceballs
When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet's air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless sidekick fly to the rescue. Along the way, they meet Yogurt, who puts Lone Starr wise to the power of "The Schwartz." Can he master it in time to save the day?
Spaceballs 1987
Almost Famous
Prime Video
Almost Famous
In 1973, 15-year-old William Miller's unabashed love of music and aspiration to become a rock journalist lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview and tour with the up-and-coming band, Stillwater.
Almost Famous 2000
Shrek
Prime Video
Shrek
It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.
Shrek 2001
Shrek the Third
HBOmax
Shrek the Third
The King of Far Far Away has died and Shrek and Fiona are to become King & Queen. However, Shrek wants to return to his cozy swamp and live in peace and quiet, so when he finds out there is another heir to the throne, they set off to bring him back to rule the kingdom.
Shrek the Third 2007
Airplane!
Prime Video
Airplane!
An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
Airplane! 1980

You May Also Like

Scarface
Prime Video
Scarface
After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.
Scarface 1983
Alien
Prime Video
Alien
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
Alien 1979
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile 2019
The Terminator
Prime Video
The Terminator
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
The Terminator 1984
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Prime Video
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Aliens disguised as clowns crash land on Earth in a rural town to capture unsuspecting victims in cotton candy cocoons for later consumption.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space 1988
Enemy Mine
Starz
Enemy Mine
A soldier from Earth crashlands on an alien world after sustaining battle damage. Eventually he encounters another survivor, but from the enemy species he was fighting; they band together to survive on this hostile world. In the end the human finds himself caring for his enemy in a completely unexpected way.
Enemy Mine 1985
The Breakfast Club
Prime Video
The Breakfast Club
Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.
The Breakfast Club 1985
Apocalypse Now
Prime Video
Apocalypse Now
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.
Apocalypse Now 1979
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
King Arthur, accompanied by his squire, recruits his Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Bedevere the Wise, Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot and Sir Galahad the Pure. On the way, Arthur battles the Black Knight who, despite having had all his limbs chopped off, insists he can still fight. They reach Camelot, but Arthur decides not to enter, as "it is a silly place".
Monty Python and the Holy Grail 1975
Back to the Future
Prime Video
Back to the Future
Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.
Back to the Future 2023

Reviews

Chirphymium
1984/03/02

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

... more
Salubfoto
1984/03/03

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

... more
Marva
1984/03/04

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

... more
Curt
1984/03/05

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

... more
fredroyer
1984/03/06

It's super obvious that all 4 principles are talented musicians, but what they did here is sublime. I mean, how do you outdo Steely Dan? By Writing a song about buttocks called "Big Bottom", or Sex Farm Woman. What I love most about the movie is all the dialogue is ab-libbed. So you had to have a sense of your character, who you are making fun of, who your audience is and all of their lines are hysterically funny. The target is low hanging fruit of course, heavy metal music bands.If I had to pick just one movie to watch on a desert island, it would be this one.

... more
sulphuric_acid-38764
1984/03/07

This movie can be Seen a 100 times and not be bored, Truly a class of its own. Don't believe me? Then Go ask Worlds most famous Rockstars, they will tell you the story. Not Only that i have also watched its follow ups and fake interviews, They kill it in every single One. It was way ahead of its time But Behind everything else.

... more
Uriah43
1984/03/08

This film is essentially about a so-called heavy metal group named "Spinal Tap" who have found that their customer base has been shrinking and have therefore launched a come-back tour to recapture their lost glory—as if they ever had any to begin with. Be that as it may, even though their new manager named "Ian Faith" (Tony Hendra) tries his best to set things up for their United States tour it soon becomes quite obvious that he is totally incompetent for the job at hand. Also quite evident is the fact that the band members are equally clueless about why their music doesn't attract large audiences. So they continue to produce one idiotic song after the other and devise all kinds of failed stage gimmicks in the mistaken belief that they are somehow on the verge of a major breakthrough. When these don't work the manager quits and is replaced by the lead singer's girlfriend "Jeanine Pettibone" (June Chadwick) who is even more incompetent than Ian ever was. Not surprisingly, things get even worse at that point. In any case, while this turned out to be a decent comedy for the most part, I should also mention that it probably takes some getting used to. Because of that, some viewers may not like it that much and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

... more
sharky_55
1984/03/09

Film-maker Marty DeBergi has assigned himself a mission to investigate the inner lives of the rock band Spinal Tap, who he is drawn to not because of their lyrical poetry or their composition but because they can lay claim to being one of the loudest bands in Britain. Marty is played by Rob Reiner himself and is the crucial building block of his debut mockumentary. He wields his camera with sincerity, honesty and authenticity, and seems to hold the same qualities in his face, letting the inevitable mayhem of the band happen before his eyes. Reiner is a great comedic actor; he knows when to nod politely, and when to feign modest interest (almost always), and throughout the entire journey does not ever relinquish his poker face even slightly. His seriousness lends legitimacy to his capturing of the rogue band, and makes it all the more funny when they break from convention.The genius of the film is in how little effort Marty has put to in to get any decent material for his documentary. He points the camera, offers a few probing questions, and Spinal Tap do the rest. Through the simple verite style presentation there is the suggestion of a wilder, greater life that these musicians occupy off the screen, and how lucky for Marty to be able to capture even a little insight. They are larger than life itself, and even in the mundane they pop. Some of the humour comes from Reiner simply extending the documentary's boundaries, and pretending as if this was a completely normal venture. Marty asks, very solemnly, if the current Spinal Tap drummer Mick Shrimpton is afraid of the unfortunate fate of all the previous drummers, and Mick replies in turn, with all seriousness, that it was a legitimate issue that was discussed between them, as if he was talking about a missing tom- tom. Oh, and he's in the bathtub. Reiner also draws from another rather famous British band, in both style and content, and in a way that immediately produces contrast. A Hard Day's Night was one of the early mockumentaries that birthed an entire genre, and crafted a whole set of rules and guidelines from which concert films were to be made. They are all noticeably here, and Reiner freely exaggerates: the push-ins to the band's orgasmic expressions, the reaction shots of the (less than) ecstatic audience, the way the camera hurtles through backstage trying desperately to keep up with the mania of the crew. When Tufnel storms off in disgust after a particularly terrible show, see how we are immediately chasing after him, the frame bouncing with each step, and pausing for the full gravitas of the ugly stare-down. Who is causing the rift in Spinal Tap? None other than the Yoko Ono of their time, an earth- loving hippie who increasingly pushes her unwanted presence into the band's affairs. But Spinal Tap have been there and done that - their early, drug-fuelled hit (Listen To The) Flower People must be as flabbergasting as Lennon's I Am The Walrus. McKean, Guest and the rest of Spinal Tap are wild in the best way, given free reign to go haywire. They tap into a very specific and familiar persona of the rock star and all the glamorous, egocentric pretensions that come along with their music, and all the drama, backlash and toxic infighting that brings about their inevitable downfall (and comeback tour). All this, as the laws dictate, must be well publicised, and Reiner observes ever so diligently. The band is pompous, fired up from their brief success and thinking that no artistic boundary is beyond them. They hastily deflect any accusations or criticisms because such things are below their level. The critics may have been right - the White Album did have nothing on its cover, but even that is not so absurd as the excessively graphic content of Smell the Glove. Their other albums have similarly humorous titles. Some are simply two phrases stuck together - Shark Sandwich, Robotic Armchair, Cerebral Badger. You get the idea.They think themselves poets, and resort to more and more desperation in order to win back their audience. Reiner produces his funniest scenes when he points towards just how insecure and vulnerable Spinal Tap really are. When challenged on the fact that most of their fans are clueless teenage boys, they retort that it is their primal masculinity that draws the envy (and fear) of both sexes. Later, a timid Derek Smalls is caught with a tinfoil- wrapped cucumber in his pants, left standing there humiliated. The climax is the reveal of the tiny Stonehenge statue, derailed by a hastily drawn napkin diagram. Reiner doesn't stray an inch; he shows the conventional shots, the passion, the feverish crowd, the dazzling lights, and then just lowers the model and lets Spinal Tap react and fall apart. And yet they are not arrogant to the point of dislike. We chuckle as they get second billing to a puppet show, and feel a little sorry when things out of their control cripple their last ditch efforts. So when Tufnel bursts back onto the stage for the teary reunion, we laugh at the sheer absurdity of the timing of it all, but at the same time we are also cheering them on and lining up for the comeback tour.

... more