“Spinal Tap II”: A Review

And here it is, a Spinal Tap movie that only took 40 years to release (if not for Return to Oz, coming 46 years after the Judy Garland classic, Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues might have broken a world record for first and second entries.) It’s an inessential sequel, sure, but only the most Scrooge-like of fans wouldn’t be moved by the sight of the trio rocking through their back catalogue, some of it accompanied by Elton John. It is, at the very least, authentically funny.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues shows the heavy metal outfit at a pensionable time in their lives. Success has strangely eluded them, particularly Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), who is running a cheese and guitar shop somewhere in Britain when this mockumentary opens. But a chance to re-form is sent their way, and they jump on the opportunity…with some mishaps.

It’s refreshing to see the original line-up together, although the English accents are less convincing this time around; if Harry Shearer’s Derek Smalls sounds more transatlantic, then Michael McKean’s David St. Hubbins is outright American. Mercifully, Guest – a real-life Baron – manages to sound convincingly “Lundun.”

Paul McCartney makes a cameo appearance and does pretty well. Yes, he’s been known to ham it up for the camera (that guest spot in Pirates of the Caribbean was ghastly), but in this instance, the puppyish facade works for the movie, given that his description of “Big Bottoms” matches the enthusiasm the Beatle saves for a John Lennon composition in real life: “That’s literature.” Drummer Chad Smith fares less well with his appearance, but Elton John looks happy jamming along to “Stonehenge.”

When it came out during the 1980s, This Is Spinal Tap was groundbreaking. Such was the conviction of the setup that many people genuinely thought they were viewing an actual documentary. Over the years, the legend grew, inspiring Ricky Gervais’ comedies The Office and Derek. Guest has gone even further with the shock-doc style – Best In Show is just as funny as This Is Spinal Tap, and arguably more cutting, so anyone hoping that this sequel will push the genre further is going to be disappointed. Best to think of this movie as a reunion tour; one last hurrah with the band you love. Some of the jokes recall the gibberish uttered by George Harrison during the Get Back series: “The more we retreat into the music, the nicer things become.”

Two of the original cast members, Tony Hendra and C. J. Vanston, have died in recent years, bringing a pathos to the work. Death hangs over many of the jokes: the wrinkly rockers realise that this is their last concert. It’s nice to see these men out on stage again, just as it is pleasant to witness Fran Drescher effortlessly revive “Bobbi Flekman.”

In later years, it will be interesting to see if the two Spinal Tap movies work as a double bill, like the Blade Runner flicks or the Trainspotting‘s. Prequels and sequels are meant to feed into one another, even if one work is stronger than the other. Only time will tell, but time spent with the Spinal Tap boys is time pretty well spent.

-Eoghan Lyng

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