Movie Review: Spinal Tap II — The End Continues

3.5 stars out of 5

Upon re-watching 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap early in the pandemic, I rated it 10 out of 10 on IMDb, and if the scale allowed me, would’ve gone to 11. I was 15 years old when the movie first came out and it was a perfect blend of smart and stupid, mocking the Heavy Duty Rock and Roll that was then such a big part of my life. Next, Nigel Tufnel a.k.a. Christopher Guest took that mockumentary format and ran with it, creating some of my very favorite films (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind). If I couldn’t quote from all these movies, I’d likely have a lot less to say.

So there was no chance I wasn’t going to see Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. No, it is not as non-stop hilarious and brilliant as the original. But I smiled all the way through, laughed quite a lot, and am liking it even more as days pass since the screening. Staging a contractually-obligated reunion concert is an ideal conceit for this film; we aging rock fans have certainly witnessed our fair share of “getting the band back together” while members struggle to overlook whatever conflicts split them up in the first place.

Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Guest slip back into their old characters with ease (likely aided by the fact they’ve dusted them off a number of times in the past four decades). Of course Rob Reiner is here as the real-life director and as fictional director Marty DiBergi. Cameos round out the cast including a few This Is Spinal Tap vets who are great to see, a couple of ringers from Guest’s stable of talent (John Michael Higgins and Don Lake), and a ton of music stars, including a parade of famous drummers understandably hesitant to occupy the Tap’s drum stool. You’ve likely seen Paul McCartney and Elton John in the ads, and their scenes are particularly terrific.

I imagine that improvising comedy doesn’t come as naturally with age, and some exchanges here do fall flat. But there’s more than enough good stuff, all leading up to a laugh-out-loud ending. Ultimately, I am so appreciative that the boys are back in town.