By Aiden Kelley, Collider | The year is 1984, and an actor-turned-filmmaker by the name of Rob Reiner has just made their directorial feature debut with a little movie called This Is Spinal Tap. At first glance, it appears to be a competently made documentary about a somewhat amateur rock band. In actuality, it was a revolutionary, inventive, and groundbreaking trendsetter for the mockumentary genre that functions as both a loving tribute to the music world and a subsequent skewering of the industry’s silliest aspects. Not only did it launch the directorial career of Rob Reiner, who would go on to have an unprecedented run of classics that include Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and more, but it also turned Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer into improv legends.
40 years later, the news that fans had been waiting for had arrived — not only was a This Is Spinal Tap sequel in development, but it would feature the returning talents of Reiner, McKean, Guest, Shearer, and more. The idea of the world’s most famous fake rock band staging a reunion tour is undeniably exciting. Still, it’s also hard not to ask whether a sequel to one of the most influential comedies ever made could ever match the legacy of the original. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues delivers a simple answer — you don’t, but with enough star-power and entertaining reverence for the original, you don’t really need to.
What Is ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ About?
Picking up four decades after Marty DiBergi’s (Reiner) infamous documentary, the fictional filmmaker decides it’s time to document the famed trio of rock stars during their Spinal Tap reunion tour. There’s just one problem — the band broke up years ago and the trio haven’t spoken to each other since, with David St. Hubbins (McKean) making musical scores for advertisements, Nigel Tufnel (Guest) making a living selling cheese, and Derek Smalls (Shearer) running a novelty museum. Still, DiBergi succeeds in reuniting the fearsome threesome, but now he has to try and keep them together (or at least document their potential breakup again).
One aspect of a Spinal Tap reunion that was practically never in doubt is the infectious chemistry of McKean, Shearer, and Guest, even if this is the latter member’s first feature film in almost a decade. . . .
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/reviews/spinal-tap-ii-the-end-continues-review-41-years-later-the-greatest-fake-band-ever-still-rocks/
‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ Review: 41 Years Later, The Greatest Fake Band Ever Still Rocks
