This is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)

Ever since first seeing "This is Spinal Tap" in the theater when it was released, this has been my favorite movie. I have no idea how many times I have seen this film, but every viewing makes me love it more. This is the film that brought the phrase "mocumentary" into common use, and while there are many imitators, there is nothing that can rival "Tap" in the comedy, satire, or faux-documentary genres.The film is hosted by director Marti DeBergi, played to perfection by Rob Reiner, and follows the career of the legendary rock group "Spinal Tap" as they come apart at the seams during their "Smell the Glove" tour. The core of the band are David St. Hubbins ("he was the Patron Saint of Quality Footwear" and is played by Michael McKean,) Nigel Tufnel (who plays his lead guitar with a violin and is played by Christopher Guest,) and Derek Smalls (who is taunted by a cucumber and an onstage pod, and is played by Harry Shearer.) These three along with Reiner wrote the songs for the film, and, yes, Tap does play their own instruments.The film skewers every part of the pop music business through wonderful period flashbacks and hysterical situations that unfold during the course of the tour. The tour is a disaster, ranging from a Stonehenge triptych that is "in danger of being crushed by a dwarf," the perpetual loss of drummers ("he died in a bizarre gardening accident," "he choked on vomit...someone else's vomit actually...there's no real way to dust for vomit...,") to the resignation of the band's longtime manager Ian Faith (wonderfully played by Tony Hendra) with managerial duties being picked up by David's loathsome girlfriend Jeanine Pettibone, who "dresses like an Australian's nightmare." The film also features great cameos from luminaries such as Billy Crystal ("mime is money,") Bruno Kirby ("Spinal Pap,") and Howard Hesseman as rock star Duke Fame ("I'd love to stay and talk, but I have to go sit in the lobby and wait for the limo.")The plot thickens when things unravel at a gig on an Air Force base, and "Spinal Tap, Mark II" briefly appears in a free-form jazz odyssey at an amusement park ("Derek Smalls on bass...he wrote this..."): the marquee reads "Puppet Show and Spinal Tap"...but at least their dressing rooms are bigger than the puppet's. An eventual tour of Japan resolves a number of plot loose ends, although they do lose another drummer in a mysterious green explosion.In sum: this is the perfect movie. It became my favorite the first time I saw it on the big screen, and through many, many subsequent viewings it has managed to retain that status. If you enjoy sly and satirical humor, this movie is not to be missed, but be forewarned: you will not absorb all the jokes the first time, so mentally prepare yourself for the repeat viewings that will surely follow.

I remember catching this film on MTV many years ago; I caught it about midway through, watched the rest of it (while laughing me bum off), then made a mental note to myself ("I've got to get this movie!"). Well, some twentysomething years later, I now have the Special Edition of THIS IS SPINAL TAP. Better late than never, as they say; was it ever worth the wait.Tongue-in-cheek parody is comic gold when done well; and this spoof of the heavy metal hair bands of the Eighties simultaneously pokes fun at the genre while paying reverent homage. (Heck, the actors even play their own gigs and songs.) An alleged "documentary", brought to us by legendary (in his own mind) producer/director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner, who did indeed direct the film), THIS IS SPINAL TAP tells the story of England's "loudest" rock band--and of its three core members: lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest); co-lead guitarist and vocalist David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean); and heavily-moustached bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer, whose poorly-played rifts are hysterical). The band is in America on tour to promote its latest album ("Smell The Glove"); over the course of this tour Murphy's Law reigns supreme, to the detriment of the band--and to the delight of the viewer.From Guest's outlandish lead solos, to McKean's horrific lyrics, to the actors' over-the-top Manchester accents, to "flashbacks" depicting the 18-year history of the band (and its 37 drummers, all victims of bizarre accidents), this "rockumentary" is hard core comedic bliss. All the scenes are improvved; how the actors got through them with straight faces beats the stuffings out of me. (I'm still in stitches over the scene where the band gets lost trying to find the stage from the dressing room.) Oh, and look for brief appearances by the likes of Bruno Kirby, Ed Begley, Jr., and Billy Crystal. Yet after the movie's over, it gets even better. . .Special features. This Special Edition includes numerous outtakes (some entertaining, some not so entertaining), some "music videos", some "commercials", the theatrical trailers, and a special commentary that puts the proverbial cherry on this sundae. Voiced over by Guest, McKean, and Shearer, the actors reprise their roles as Nigel, David, and Derek, and comment about the film expressing righteous indignation over the "hatchet job" director DiBergi did about their beloved band. Their ad libbed voice-overs, from scene to scene, are just as entertaining as the film itself, making THIS IS SPINAL TAP a crowning comedic experience.--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

I have watched this DVD maybe 40-50 times. Once with a real square homemaker type- or so I thought- until I watched her nearly pee her pants laughing at this film. This movie is absolutely hysterical. It pokes fun at rock bands, especially heavy metal bands beyond their prime. But you can find a little bit of all of them in here. I might never be able to look at Led Zepplin, Blue Oyster Cult or Deep Purple the same way ever again. I don't want to ruin the film so here is one and only one example. While getting ready to play a concert in Cleveland The band members exit their dressing rooms and actually get lost trying to find the stage. Even after getting help from an old maintenance man they make a complete circle and still can't find it. Okay now I can't stop- or the bass player setting off a metal detector in the airport because he has a cucumber wrapped in aluminum foil in his pants to accentuate his "package"... or during their gothic anthem "Stonehendge" a 20 inch monolith descends upon the stage with dwarfs dancing around it (lead guitarist #1 doesn't know the difference between feet and inches and screws up the design request)... There are so many great lines in here, many of them from their manager (i.e. "Australian's Nightmare",etc.) and a ton of up and coming stars. Look carefully and you'll spot Paul Schaeffer, Billy Crystal, Howard Hesseman, Fran Drescher, the list goes on and on. This movie is one of the truly funny films that I can reccomend to anyone with a brain and guarantee you will absolutely love it and want to watch it again and again.