By Peter Debruge, Variety | With Spinal Tap, the joke never gets old, even if the hilarious-as-ever heavy metal trio is now bordering on geriatric. Well into their 70s, hall-of-fame improv talents Michael McKean and Christopher Guest are the same age as real-life rockers Alice Cooper and Steven Tyler, while slightly older Harry Shearer has made it up to 70-11. It’s to the point that “the candles are starting to cost more than the cake,” as fitness guru Bob Kitness (John Michael Higgins) tells the boys, but that’s all to the benefit of a sequel that draws added relevance from post-stardom reality shows like “The Osbournes” and “Bands Reunited.”
If director Rob Reiner’s solid-gold 1984 mock doc “This Is Spinal Tap” modeled itself after Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz,” then what should we consider its decades-later follow-up, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,” about the disbanded heavy metal group’s (contractually obliged) farewell concert? In some ways, the new movie’s even more “Last Waltz”-y than “The Last Waltz” was: The affectionate reunion of alter-kocker rockers plays like a greatest hits of past laughs, building to a thrilling live performance of songs fans know by heart, featuring guest appearances from several bona fide music gods.
Technically, “The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash” and “A Hard Day’s Night” got there first, but “This Is Spinal Tap” set the standard for mockumentaries to come. Unlike the original, there’s nothing revolutionary or especially groundbreaking here. But at least it doesn’t tarnish what came before, as too many lazy late sequels – from “Happy Gilmore 2” to “The Odd Couple II” – have done. In this case, it serves the film well that the stars have aged so much since their virile, bulging-spandex heyday. It’s only natural that David St. Hubbins (McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Shearer) should have crow’s-feet and bingo wings, even as they’ve kept their rebel hairstyles intact.
Reiner returns as filmmaker Marty DiBergi, who tracks down key characters from the original, including June Chadwick’s Jeanine (who thought she’d heard God, when it was actually just the Police) and original groupie Jean Cromie Schmit (first seen in the 20-minute demo that got the film financed), plus PR flak Bobbi Flekman (Fran Drescher) and incompetent promotions guy Artie Fufkin (Paul Shaffer). Although these two appear very briefly, their duties pass to nepo-baby manager Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman) and insufferable Simon Howler (welcome new addition Chris Addison), who’s afflicted with “St. Cecilia’s Curse,” a condition that makes him uniquely unsuited for the job.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/spinal-tap-ii-the-end-continues-review-the-ultimate-spoof-band-gets-a-cheeky-send-off-with-a-little-help-from-their-friends/
(For COMBO’s 20th Anniversary, we were able to watch the original “This is Spinal Tap” at the former Red & Jerry’s not knowing that, in quite a coincidence, it was Spinal Tap’s 25th Anniversary! We had such a good time, laughing at the jokes that only people who have been around bands would get!)
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ Review: The Ultimate Spoof Band Gets a Cheeky Send-Off, With a Little Help From Their Friends
