This Is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap follows a British heavy metal band that has been performing for years but now finds its popularity fading. A documentary crew joins the group on a tour of the United States, intending to capture life on the road. As the dates go by, the tour runs into trouble: shows are cancelled, the members clash over the band's direction, and their new record causes friction. The film is a mockumentary presented as the work of filmmaker Marty DiBergi, who follows the group and its entourage of managers, hangers-on and interview subjects through a stretch of months that exposes the gap between rock mythology and everyday reality.

Rob Reiner directed the film and shares screenplay credit with Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer. It was Reiner's first film as director, followed by The Sure Thing in 1985. Guest plays guitarist Nigel Tufnel, Michael McKean plays singer David St. Hubbins and Shearer plays bassist Derek Smalls; Reiner himself appears as DiBergi, with June Chadwick as Jeanine Pettibone and Tony Hendra as Ian Faith among a credited cast of 55. Made for 3 million USD and released in March 1984, it returned 6 million USD worldwide, a modest multiple of its budget that still points to a limited theatrical audience.

Audience response is strong and durable. On IMDb the film holds 7.9/10 from 160,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.4/10 from 1,700 votes. Against those figures, a film critics' rating of 9/10 from 177 reviews places critical appreciation noticeably higher than the general audience scores.