This is Spinal Tap
How is it that, for the past 26 years, we have been blessed by having Spinal Tap in our lives? If there’s a fine line between clever and stupid, director Rob Reiner (making his first film, and still one of his best) and his stars Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer were responsible for the last great piece of cleverness in cinema before stupidity took over comedy (well, at least until Guest returned to the genre in 1997 with “Waiting for Guffman,” and later “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind,” and “For Your Consideration”).
Ok, that might be unfair, but watching “This is Spinal Tap” again, it does sometimes feel like clever wit and originality is long gone from the genre, especially when you consider how the fictional metal band has indeed taken on a life of its’ own, has released two other albums since they made their debut with this mock documentary, and have even performed live. No wonder Entertainment Weekly called it the great Cult Movie of all-time a few years ago.
Like most cult movies, it only gets better with each viewing if you’re open to the film’s wit and purpose. That purpose? To open up the possibilities for cinematic comedy. Yes, it’s first target is the documentary medium, but I think it was also a challenge to filmmakers. At the time, films like “Porky’s” and “Police Academy” were dumbing down the genre in a trend that would continue to this day, where formula and well-tested jokes would take over the genre. Some filmmakers and comedy writers have learned the lessons of “This is Spinal Tap” well (would we have gotten the subversive likes of “Office Space,” “The Simpsons,” “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” or even “The Big Lebowski” without it? hopefully); most have taken the other route to comedic success. Their loss.
But back to the film itself. It’d be very easy to just list the moments of sheer lunacy and intelligent craziness that linger long in the memory, and make you smile when you think about them. The tragic history of Tap drummers. The band unable to find the stage at a show in Cleveland. Nigel Tufnel (Guest) explaining the amps that go to 11 to filmmaker Marti DeBergi (Reiner). The circumstances that lead to the hilariously unfortunate mishap with regards to a prop for the band’s “Stonehenge” performance. Bassist Derek Smalls’ (Shearer) awkward run-in at airport security. The pathetic turnout at a record store in Illinois when the band has a signing for their new album “Smell the Glove.” The tension when David St. Hubbins’ (McKean) girlfriend Jeanine (June Chadwick) joins the tour, much to the disappointment of Nigel.
This film- like the ones Guest would make after it- should not work. But the reason it does is because in the end, it loves these characters. In a way, it’s a genuine underdog story. This band is too old, too untalented (in theory; I have no problem listening to them over and over), and too unlucky to be successful, which would explain why they start off playing in big venues and end up playing at air force dances and a theme park to a group of 50 people (if that). How they are saved from their inevitable fate and given one last chance to shine by playing a Japanese tour is a phenomenon that can only be called a deus ex machina happening- it just wouldn’t happen in real-life. That doesn’t mean we aren’t happy to see it happen.
Still, the fact that Tap is still going strong in popular culture after so long, from the superb rendering of the film in DVD format in 2000 (with a classic in-character commentary that’s as entertaining as the film itself) to the band’s third album (“Back From the Dead”) being released last year to the inclusion of “Up to 11” into the pop culture lexicon is enough to give anyone hope that truly, anything is possible. That might explain why the film came to mind as I was prepping and writing my next film project, also about an artist who is just a little to unlucky to make it. I just began filming this week. Watching “This is Spinal Tap” again, I hope I’ll be able to pay homage to their example in a way that’s just as memorable.
