X
- 1984
- R
- Embassy Pictures Corporation
- 1 h 22 m
- 1984
- R
- Embassy Pictures Corporation
- 1 h 22 m
Summary Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.
Directed By: Rob Reiner
Written By: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
- 1984
- R
- Embassy Pictures Corporation
- 1 h 22 m
- 1984
- R
- Embassy Pictures Corporation
- 1 h 22 m
This Is Spinal Tap
8.1
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Summary Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.
Directed By: Rob Reiner
Written By: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 30 Critic Reviews
92
97% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 30 Critic Reviews
92
97% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
3% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This is Spinal Tap is hilarious to everyone who’s not a musician. Because for as ridiculous and perverse as Rob Reiner’s heavy metal mockumentary gets, the slim, 82-minute comedy gnaws at more truths than any other rock ‘n’ roll biopic ever put to celluloid.
Reiner's brilliantly inventive script and smart visuals avoid all the obvious pitfalls, making this one of the funniest ever films about the music business.
By Staff (Not Credited) FULL REVIEW
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 152 User Ratings
8.1
84% Positive
127 Ratings
127 Ratings
13% Mixed
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
3% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 152 User Ratings
8.1
84% Positive
127 Ratings
127 Ratings
13% Mixed
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
3% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Jul 5, 2025
"This Is Spinal Tap" is one of the greatest movie satires. And if it isn't the funniest rock spoof ever made, it certainly shares the title with "The Rutles.". The film contains everything from laugh aloud moments to scenes that will have even the most dry, humorless viewers smiling with unrestrained mirth.
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80 minutes of total joy, its momentum utterly uncompromised, every single second an invitation to snort uncontrollably. I can hardly wait to watch it again.
By Jim White FULL REVIEW
One of the great movie satires. And if it isn't the funniest rock spoof ever made, it certainly shares the title with "The Rutles."
For all its japes and jokes, the movie is really about exhaustion of the spirit: sitting in a bleak hotel suite at 4 a.m. with the bad taste of last night in the mouth and the feeling that tomorrow will not be a better day.
Begs the question: Did the lads from Squatney trail the zeitgeist at every turn, or were cobandleaders David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel simply in touch with their past and ahead of their time?
Sep 20, 2019
One of the funniest comedies ever filmed, and a pioneer of the mockumentary genre, This Is Spinal Tap remains a relevant, hilarious movie. Anyone who has ever been in a band will relate to the struggles of Spinal Tap as they try to release their newest album. Rob Reiner really hit this one out of the park. The cinematography is great. The comedic timing is unparalleled. The script is endlessly quotable. If you are looking for a rocking comedy, look no further than This Is Spinal Tap.
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Nov 25, 2018
Absolutely funny and with an universal and delicious irony, a well-calculated and acerbic criticism to Rock and Roll's excess. I could identificate indirects to at least 20 different bands. No, movie doesn't a criticism to rock. Although rock's genre being one of the best in the world, we have to recognize its failures, and This is Spinal Tap works it very well, including could amusing more rock fans than another kind of person.
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Jun 13, 2018
gentle yet insulting.. This Is Spinal Tap An idea or a concept isn't everything and this is a fine example for it, as the brilliant idea of it fades away quickly as it derails off the track and becomes something entirely different than what was promised or even more embarrassingly what was right. The writing is funny and brilliant, but fails to keep it true to its nature and fumbles its way down the road. There are few hilarious sequences installed in here that one cannot not get lost into it. Another major dilemma in here is that the priority in here is nothing but the punch line of the joke which is kept above the bigger picture in here and fails to make a definite point out of it. The performance is promising and hilarious at the same time, as they draw plenty of laughs from the screen. Rob Reiner; the director, is bang on the money on his execution skills and is convincing throughout the course of it. The music bits of the feature may come off, off putting and uneven in here. This Is Spinal Tap is a gentle yet insulting tap on the back in its self-created genre as it fails provide the essential ingredients to it and leaves it undercooked.
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Awards
DVD Exclusive Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Online Film & Television Association
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
