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This Is Spinal Tap
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This Is Spinal Tap (1984) More at IMDb Pro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   41,044 votes
Director:
Rob Reiner
Writers:
Christopher Guest (written by) &
Michael McKean (written by) ...
more
Release Date:
2 March 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Music more
Tagline:
Does for rock and roll what "The Sound of Music" did for hills
Plot:
Spinal Tap, the world's loudest band, is chronicled by hack documentarian Marti DeBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(23 articles)
On DVD Today: October 7, 2008 (From Rope Of Silicon. 7 October 2008, 3:08 AM, PDT)
Ghostbusters Tops Funny Films Poll (From WENN. 27 August 2008, 6:32 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
A hilarious little spoof - wit rather than clumsy stuff more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rob Reiner ... Marty DiBergi
Kimberly Stringer ... Heavy Metal Fan
Chazz Dominguez ... Heavy Metal Fan
Shari Hall ... Heavy Metal Fan
R.J. Parnell ... Mick Shrimpton
David Kaff ... Viv Savage

Tony Hendra ... Ian Faith

Michael McKean ... David St. Hubbins

Christopher Guest ... Nigel Tufnel

Harry Shearer ... Derek Smalls

Bruno Kirby ... Tommy Pischedda
Jean Cromie ... Ethereal Fan
Patrick Maher ... New York M.C.

Ed Begley Jr. ... John 'Stumpy' Pepys
Danny Kortchmar ... Ronnie Pudding
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
This is Spinal Tap®: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi (USA) (complete title)
Esto es Spinal Tap (Venezuela) [es]
Hei me rokataan! (Finland) [fi]
Hjelp, vi er i popbransjen (Norway) [no]
Isto É Spinal Tap (Brazil) [pt]
Jungs von Spinal Tap, Die (West Germany) (TV title) [de]
Oto 'Spinal Tap' (Poland) [pl]
Spinal Tap (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Spinal Tap (Sweden) [sv]
Spinal Tap (France) [fr]
Spinal Tap - Hei me rokataan! (Finland) (DVD title) [fi]
Titta vi rockar! (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
more
Runtime:
82 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.70 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-7 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-8 (original rating) | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
Pasadena, California, USA more
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 4% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The actors are all competent musicians, and the soundtrack is actually them playing. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During the 'Recording Studio Meltdown' sequence, David begins playing with a white Stratocaster. In the same shot he switches to a Sunburst stratocaster and then back to a white Stratocaster in seconds (Special Edition only). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Marty DiBergi: Hello; my name is Marty DiBergi. I'm a filmmaker. I make a lot of commercials. That little dog that chases the covered wagon underneath the sink? That was mine. In 1966, I went down to Greenwich Village, New York City to a rock club called Electric Banana. Don't look for it; it's not there anymore. But that night, I heard a band that for me redefined the word "rock and roll". I remember being knocked out by their...
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
(Listen To The) Flower People more

FAQ

Is this band real?
more
28 out of 33 people found the following comment useful:-
A hilarious little spoof - wit rather than clumsy stuff, 1 January 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

In 1982 the world's loudest band is about to undertake it's comeback tour of America to coincide with the release of the new album. The group, Spinal Tap, is accompanied by documentary filmmaker Marti DeBergi on what turns out to be a fateful chapter in the band's colourful history.

Despite what anyone else tells you, this is easily one of the most quotable movies made and is just as funny today as it was when it was made, unless you are so out of touch with the world that it affectionately spoofs. The film is almost a tragedy so well does it chronicle the absurd collapse of the band. However, regardless of the hows and whats, the comedy is in the characters and the sharp dialogue. While most of the specific action is really funny, it is best during the backstage arguments and the candid interviews.

The dialogue is fantastic from start to finish and is made better by a superb cast delivering absurd lines with a straight face! McKean, Guest and Shearer are the strongest of the cast have most of the best lines. The support cast is also crammed with cameos from such people as Bruno Kirby, Billy Crystal, Begley Jnr, Macnee, Paul Shaffer, Anjelica Huston and others. Reiner excels as director, writer and documentarian, the film has his hands all over it.

Overall this is a great film, so much has been said about it that I won't go on any longer. While it is not an out and out spoof like Naked Gun, this film is wittier as the comedy comes from the dialogue and the sheer imagination of the writing!

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