This Is Spinal Tap (Special Edition) Reviews

David is a somewhat pompous, pseudo-intellectual who likes ruffles, velvet and satin stage attire and has a rather pushy, astrologically attuned girlfriend (Jeanine exerts a major cosmic influence on David's life and creates a wedge between him and childhood friend Nigel). Nigel is a confused chain-smoking, gum-chewing, accomplished guitarist with strong juvenile tendencies, a love of kilts, and a knack for inane invention. Derek prefers a studs-and-leather stage presence but is perhaps the most intelligent of the lot and assumes the role of realist and peacemaker.

Filmmaker and fan Martin DiBergi (Rob Reiner) accompanies them on this tour to create a documentary of the experience, but Spinal Tap will later accuse Marty of making a "hatchet job" by portraying them in an unfavorable and unflattering light. Marty's film does tend to focus on the historic failings of the band, their apparent waning popularity, and the few(?) times on tour when they couldn't find the stage; had cancellations, production failures, embarrassments, and lapses in competence; bickered amongst themselves; acted like prima donnas; sported their herpes sores; and couldn't meaningfully or coherently answer his interview questions.

The film is almost entirely improvised from a skeletal plan. The comedy is subtly and richly layered with humorous but realistic character portrayals, malapropisms, double entendres, and numerous sight gags. Reality is only slightly skewed, with no in-your-face gross-outs or over-acting to emphasize the obvious. These guys are not only brilliant improvisors, but they are also fine musicians capable of performing a serious-but-quirky, full-length concert (1993 "Return of Spinal Tap" concert/comedy video). They really have written and performed all the wonderful lyrics and arrangements by themselves. Classics like "Big Bottom," "Bitch School," and "Sex Farm."

This film grows on you like an untreated fungus. Note that you probably will need multiple viewings (without interruption) to fully appreciate the humor and to become hooked, but you will love it more and get more out of it each time it is viewed.

REVIEWER CONTEXT: 48-year-old female (a scientist and not in the entertainment or music business) who saw the movie for the first time (!) in October 2000 and who loves rock-and-roll (particularly the 1960s and 1970s "British Invasion" bands) but not raucous "heavy metal" sounds or outrageously gross personas. Comedy preferences include films such as the Monty Python features, the Pink Panther series, A Fish Called Wanda, Blame it on the Bellboy, The Birdcage, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, etc.

THE PRODUCT(S): The new VHS tape (MGM Special Edition) adds 10 minutes of out-take footage, including the "Bitch School" music video. The new DVD (MGM Special Edition) includes an audio overlay for the film itself (ad-libbed, in-character commentary ("defense") by the 3 principle musicians), about 70 minutes of out-take footage (presented sequentially like the film), a DiBergi update, 4 music videos (excluding Bitch School), other promotional clips, film trailers, advertisements and interviews. It caused me to buy a DVD player.

There is also a 1993 VHS "Return of Spinal Tap," which is a real London sell-out concert from July, 1992, interspersed (approximately every 3 songs) with comedy inserts and interviews; a 4.5 hour bootleg tape (presumably the original director's cut); 2 real CDs (1984 soundtrack and 1992's Break Like the Wind); a recent book (Spinal Tap Companion by Karl French) with transcripts, lyrics, and other delights; and older materials that are no longer available except through auctions. The out-of-print Criterion DVD from several years ago has a somewhat different selection of out-takes; audio commentary overlays from (1) McKean/Guest/Shearer as their real selves and (2) Reiner and the production crew; and the 20-minute demo tape originally made to try to obtain studio funding.

Rating: 5 - DVD Goes to 11!
Well, Spinal Tap just won't give up. They're approaching 60 and still rocking. This new edition of the comedy masterpiece This is Spinal Tap is loaded with goodies, especially for die hard fans. The intro alone is worth the price of the DVD, with all three members (in character) commenting on the title sequence of the DVD. Then some commentary as you navigate the menu (especially funny is the subtitles bit). Then there are the extras! Man...some of the extras aren't the funniest, so it's obvious as to why they were removed from the final cut, but some are hilarious! My favorite out-take was a bit featuring Nigel (Christopher Guest) explaining to Marty Dibergi (Rob Reiner) the similarities between tradtional Indonesian music and true American Western music. This scene is as funny as anything in the movie. A nice touch is the audio commentary featuring all three in character as they analyze the truthfulness of DiBergi's representation and recall old times. Funny as hell. All in all, if you're a Tap fan, this will make you forget about the "Hellhole" you live in! A great continuation of the Tap legacy.

Rating: 5 - Christopher Guest's crowning achievement
This is the movie that turned me on to Christopher Guest's unique style of subtle comedy (though This is Spinal Tap is hardly subtle). After watching Best of Show and Waiting for Guffman, it's clear that this is disproportionately Guest's movie, despite the (obvious and extremely beneficial) shared writing credits between him, McKean, Shearer, and Reiner.

I recommend this movie to pretty much everyone who has an interest in music (especially the music of the 60's, 70's, and 80's) and a healthy sense of humor. No one is immune to this satire, with pretty clear (and not so clear) jabs at the Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and countless other groups. Add to that a "fake" music group that has about as much musical talent as some of the "real" groups from the era that they're satirizing, and you've got a masterpiece of a movie.

This DVD takes it another step and adds in over an hour of cut footage that adds a lot to the story, and adds a lot more laughs. It would have been nice to have the option to plug the outtakes back into the movie in their original places (like in the X-Men DVD), but merely having them there is a big plus in itself. Other extras, like commentary from the characters, music videos for some of their songs, multiple trailers and TV advertisement spots, and other more minor extras make this a must have DVD for anyone who enjoys this type of movie.

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This Is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)