This Is Spinal Tap - Criterion Collection | 
| Director: Rob Reiner
Actors: Christopher Guest, Michael Mckean, Harry Shearer, Tony Hendra, Ed Begley Jr.
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $62.46
New (6) Used (14) from $62.46
Rating:  379 reviews
Sales Rank: 42131
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd, Letterboxed, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Letterbox
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 82 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 1559408758
UPC: 715515009126
EAN: 9781559408752
ASIN: 1559408758
Theatrical Release Date: March 2, 1984
Release Date: July 8, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) solemnly alerts us to the glory that was Spinal Tap in his introduction to this "rockumentary" about the legendary British heavy-metal group, featuring lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), lead singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and a succession of drummers whose careers were cut short by spontaneously combusting on their stool, drowning in somebody else's vomit, or otherwise perishing in untimely fashion. Under DiBergi's studious interrogation, the band and their familiars retrace the band's evolution from head-bopping Mersey Beat poseurs to head-banging metal poseurs, each change in musical direction or tonsorial chic having little effect on the surviving trio's sublime idiocy. For, as St. Hubbins (he's the "deep" one, relatively speaking) sagely observes, "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever." Happily for us, director Reiner, who developed the underlying story line with Guest and former Credibility Gap pranksters McKean and Shearer, stays squarely on the right side of the line, even as his writer-actors remain hilariously trapped on the other side. In lieu of a formal shooting script, the quartet created an extensive and detailed band history ripe with the sort of dead-pan detail that hard-core rock historians and screwball aficionados will savor on countless replays; with the three Tap members also musicians themselves, the "band" developed its stage act under the unsuspecting noses of L.A. club denizens, who accepted them as just as loud, flashy, sexist, and obvious as any other mullet-tressed, leather-garbed brigade of guitar slingers, circa 1984. The resulting footage thus manages to lob its punch lines and build its characters (including some thinly veiled character assassinations of various industry folks) with a loose, tossed-away verve rooted in the improvisational approach. This Is Spinal Tap remains the funniest, and most truthful, look at rock culture ever filmed and a personal best for all involved. --Sam Sutherland
Description
Rob Reiner's directorial debut has developed into a cult phenomenon. The film that invented the "rockumentary" has now outlasted most of the bands it mocked. Following the ill-fated American comeback tour of an aging heavy metal group, this film has joined the ranks of the greatest comedies ever made.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 374 more reviews...
 Complete hack job from a total hack July 3, 2009
Michael T. Dunleavy
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
No surprise Marti DeBergi wasn't able to get a job after this. He could teach Michael Moore a thing or two about selective editing, turning one of England's most influential rock bands into a troupe of inept buffoons. DeBergi clearly knows nothing about music, and its sad watching him struggle to understand Nigel's technical explanantion of his (then) cutting edge amps. The only reason to recommend this is for the music, which even DeBergi's editors couldn't ruin. Its a shame that this turd has so badly tarnished Tap's reputation, and even caused now-defunct Megaphone records to keep their brilliant catalog out of print.
 "They're like poets." "They're like Shelley and Byron." June 7, 2009
Susan Y. Schoonover (Boulder, CO)
THIS IS SPINAL TAP has to be one of if not the funniest parody movies ever made. Heavy metal music (especially when its performers and fans take it too seriously) is inherent with ridiculous elements that seem made to be spoofed. Director Rob Reiner (who appears in the film as documentary maker Marty) and actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer playing the three lead musicians in Spinal Tap capitalize on the silliness and take it to outrageous and hilarious lengths with their pitch perfect deadpan deliveries. Packed with funny one liners this film can be watched multiple times without losing enjoyment.
 An interesting "mockumentry" on rock bands. May 4, 2009
Robert Thompson (Under Your Bed!!!)
I was pretty hyped about this movie before I rented it. While it's nowhere near the comedy masterpiece some people make it out to be I did really enjoy it. Some people say it's metal but the music is really just glam rock, a bad Kiss ripoff at it's peak. I know the music is all just a joke, but if you're going to make us listen to it please make it at least passable. Luckily the music isn't the center of the movie. The acting is pretty solid all around, and very convincing. The real highlight of the movie for me was the band discussions, it's completely hilarious. The dialogue is just priceless, who cannot forget the now famous line, "None more blacker". I also love the scene where the band is playing and they come out of there pods but the bassist is stuck in there for the entire song. It's also pretty faithful to how things actually happen in the music industry, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth stated in an interview that Spinal Tap was sadly very close to how real band life was. If the music wasn't terrible or if they had just gotten rid of it as a whole, I probably would have given this movie five stars.
Marty DiBergi gave Spinal Tap a huge career boost with this film. April 25, 2009
Danny (South Philly)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've been a fan of Spinal Tap since they went under the name of The (New) Originals. After the tragic gardening death of their first drummer, John "Stumpy" Pepys, Tap tapped Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs to fill the fills and thus began their journey of reputation as England's loudest band. I remember when they opened for Deep Purple in 1972, Ritchie Blackmore, watching backstage, was so intimidated by them that he locked himself in a bathroom for the rest of the night and his band had to soldier on playing a two hour show without him. Spinal Tap were kicked off the bill after one gig.
While I thought Brainhammer and Nerve Damage provided Spinal Tap adequate "practice" to become a full-fledged heavy metal outfit, they really came into their own with the release of Blood To Let. I remember my buddy bringing his new Master Of Reality LP over to my house one day and I laughed at Sabbath's feeble attempt at heaviness. I took his silly record off the turntable, broke it in half, plunked Blood To Let down in it's place and watched as his head exploded all over my mom's new sofa after hearing the first two chords of the title track. It was a glorious time to be a Tapper.
Unfortunately, tragedy again struck the band two years later when Stumpy Joe died by choking on his own vomit. Worst of all was the release of the lightweight Intravenus de Milo. THIS was their follow-up to the heaviest record of all time (at the time)?! Their pretentious nonsense kicked up a few more notches with the release of The Gospel According To Spinal Tap, which is still cited as one of the worst mistakes a rock band has ever made. I was officially over this band by 1975.
Years later, in '82, I saw Judas Priest on tour and Spinal Tap happened to be opening for them. The band that once blew Deep Purple off the stage was now greeted with boos and jeers from a hostile crowd growing more impatient by the second for their Metal Gods to come out and show them how it's really done. Then, something amazing happened. Spinal Tap started playing a song. Only this time, it wasn't weak. It was actually pretty good. No, it was GREAT! The song they played was the first single off their new LP Smell The Glove entitled "Hell Hole." This song was so awesome that the crowd's cheers drowned the amps out before the second chorus. Spinal Tap played for another 45 minutes or so, but I couldn't even tell what the other songs were because of all the crowd noise. It was Beatlemania all over again. The next day, the Hell Hole single had pushed 427 units. Wow.
But it still wasn't enough for Spinal Tap. Little did we the audience know, filmmaker Marty DiBergi had filmed the whole performance as part of his documentary on the band. Two years later, "This Is Spinal Tap" was released and the band's new album shot to #58 on the Billboard Chart. Spinal Tap were finally back. They'd earned their spot as the 58th most popular heavy metal band that week.
Watching this film taught me the secret of being sort of successful. When I got home from my first screening, I immediately wrote the number eleven on my amp and I could HEAR myself actually playing LOUDER!! Nobody else could, but that's because they're stupid. It's such a fine line between clever and stupid, as a wise sage once said.
Spinal Tap April 10, 2009
L. Copas
A look on how it might be to be a big rock star on a funny side.
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