Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
A legacy sequel to an iconic mockumentary satire feels like it would be doomed to fail. “This is Spinal Tap” not only kicked off the cinematic career of Rob Reiner as a director, but also a genre that Christopher Guest would build off of in “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind.” The fact that four decades later, Reiner, Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer were able to create a sequel that has plenty of laughs, as well as a lot of the same enduring sweetness the original had, that’s the most important part of “The End Continues,” in my book.
In the original film, Spinal Tap is on the outskirts of the rock industry while trying to maintain the cool of the lifestyle. Their tour for the new album, “Smell the Glove,” was not going well. By the end of the film, they had found their groove, and were off to Japan. Now, they haven’t played together in decades, and they have one show left in their contract with their former manager, Ian Faith. Ian passed away years ago, and now his daughter- Hope (Kerry Godliman)- is trying to pull off this one, last show with a publicist who has great disdain for music. Only Spinal Tap could be so unlucky.
As with the original, Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer are the writers of the film, and one of the strongest aspects of this film is how it treats the characters honestly, and older. They are not spring chickens who have continued to tour in the intervening four decades, much less play together. That chemistry needs to find its way back together. One of the ways they stay true to “This is Spinal Tap” is how central Derek Smalls (Shearer’s bassist) is to the band, but how he’s basically secondary to the tensions within the band compared to Nigel Tufnel (Guest)’s and David St. Hubbins (McKean)’s clashing egos. Add to that cameos by Sir Elton John and Paul McCartney in the studio as they are rehearsing, and the way this film taps into the first film’s leading men tensions- just a bit older, less volatile- is fun to watch.
You won’t see any getting lost behind the stage this time. Nor is there any cover art controversy. Nor do we get any signings at record stores that go awry. The biggest running gags also result in the biggest laughs- on stage prop mishaps (once again happening during “Stonehenge”) and the long, convoluted history of Spinal Tap drummers. You completely understand why they won’t be able to get anyone famous to join them for one night, but we admire how Didi Crockett (Valerie Franco) attacks the opportunity. Luck is bound to run out, however, but the pleasure of watching Spinal Tap’s misadventures endures. No, we do not have an all-time classic in “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” but even if it doesn’t go to 11 in the laugh department, it at least provides some good, clean fun before another unfortunate issue arises for the iconic band, all documented- once again- by Marty DeBergi’s camera. So sad we won’t be able to get a third film of their hijinks, in light of the tragic passing of Rob Reiner. This is a Hell of a way to go out, though.
