The feature debut for Rob Reiner who would go on a pretty incredible streak starting here going through A Few Good Men in 1992. His six films (still his only in the archives to date) crossed genres and created some of the most memorable works of this era in Hollywood—This is Spinal Tap, Stand By My, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men
Woody Allen’s Zelig is 1983 the year before so it’s not like This is Spinal Tap invented the mockumentary (I think it’s really Luis Bunuel actually) but still- it’s part of that movement and a staple of the sub-genre
Cameos but Bruno Kirby and Billy Crystal (not a known quantity at the time) and Angelica Huston… Kirby’s Sinatra-loving limo driver in particular is great (he and Crystal would co-star years later in City Slickers)
The songs themselves have hilarious lyrics
Improvisation here with talented comedians: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean
Hilarious bits—getting lost back stage, drummer deaths, Stonehenge and others
[…] This is Spinal Tap – R. Reiner […]