"Workin' on a sex farm.....PLOWWwwwwing through your BEANfield!!!"
Imagine an aging singer for an eighties rock band pouring his heart
and soul into that line, in the form of a quivering growl, and you
have the very essence of what to expect from "This Is Spinal
Tap".
That line, which is a quote from one of Tap's more developed songs,
should be more than enough to make you want to run right out and see
this film immediately.
For those of you who need a little more motivation, you may now continue
on your merry way through my review.
Marty Dibergi is a young filmmaker, who has decided to film a documentary
of his favorite band, an over-the-hill British rock band, Spinal Tap.
The band is made up of five members at the present time: David St.
Hubbins (Lead Guitar, Vocals), Nigel Tufnel (Lead Guitar, Vocals),
Derek Smalls (Bass, Vocals), drummer of the week Mick Shrimpton (Drummer),
and Viv Savage (Keyboards, vocals). He follows the band, and their
entourage, around the United States during their first stateside tour
in recent memory. As he does this, Marty manages to document every
possible setback and misadventure that happens to the band along the
way.
These moments are too numerous to list, and besides, if I did that
it would take a lot of fun out of the film, since half the fun is
the discovery of these moments. I will say that some of the more hilarious
moments involve a metal detector, a malfunctioning cocoon (Yes, you
read right), an amplifier that goes all the way up, not ten, but eleven,
and a backstage odyssey of sorts. These are just a fraction of the
scenes that will have you in uncontrollable fits of laughter, rolling
around on the floor, practically wetting yourself with joy.
What truly makes this film work is it's tongue-in-cheek nature. It
has been dubbed a "Mockumentary" by it's creator Rob Reiner,
who plays the role of Marty Dibergi. Nothing in this film is real,
in the historical sense anyway, but in terms of subject matter it
is consistently dead on as it pokes fun at life on the road for a
rock band. There is a laugh to be found in virtually every scene,
as the film is never allowed to become too serious at any point in
time.
This film was made for both fans of music and those who enjoy brilliant
satire. If you fall into these groups you will find "This Is
Spinal Tap" to be highly entertaining in every way, shape and
form that you would expect it to be. If you don't fall into those
groups, extract the stick from your ass and rent it anyway. Just remember
that quote from the beginning of the review, think of bassist Derek
Smalls describing that song as being more evolved from their earlier
work, and try not to laugh.
I knew you couldn't resist. Tell me it doesn't rule. You can't!
