{"id":148288,"date":"2025-09-11T06:04:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T06:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/148288\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T06:04:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T06:04:07","slug":"spinal-tap-ii-the-end-continues-review-rockers-get-cheeky-send-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/148288\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ Review: Rockers Get Cheeky Send-Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith 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<\/a> and Christopher Guest<\/a> 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\u2019s to the point that \u201cthe candles are starting to cost more than the cake,\u201d as fitness guru Bob Kitness (John Michael Higgins) tells the boys, but that\u2019s all to the benefit of a sequel that draws added relevance from post-stardom reality shows like \u201cThe Osbournes\u201d and \u201cBands Reunited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIf director Rob Reiner<\/a>\u2019s solid-gold 1984 mock doc \u201cThis Is Spinal Tap\u201d modeled itself after Martin Scorsese\u2019s \u201cThe Last Waltz,\u201d then what should we consider its decades-later follow-up, \u201cSpinal Tap II: The End Continues<\/a>,\u201d about the disbanded heavy metal group\u2019s (contractually obliged) farewell concert? In some ways, the new movie\u2019s even more \u201cLast Waltz\u201d-y than \u201cThe Last Waltz\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\n\tTechnically, \u201cThe Rutles: All You Need Is Cash\u201d and \u201cA Hard Day\u2019s Night\u201d got there first, but \u201cThis Is Spinal Tap\u201d set the standard for mockumentaries to come. Unlike the original, there\u2019s nothing revolutionary or especially groundbreaking here. But at least it doesn\u2019t tarnish what came before, as too many lazy late sequels \u2014 from \u201cHappy Gilmore 2\u201d to \u201cThe Odd Couple II\u201d \u2014 have done. In this case, it serves the film well that the stars have aged so much since their virile, bulging-spandex heyday. It\u2019s only natural that David St. Hubbins (McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Shearer) should have crow\u2019s-feet and bingo wings, even as they\u2019ve kept their rebel hairstyles intact.<\/p>\n

\n\tReiner returns as filmmaker Marty DiBergi, who tracks down key characters from the original, including June Chadwick\u2019s Jeanine (who thought she\u2019d 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\u2019s afflicted with \u201cSt. Cecilia\u2019s Curse,\u201d a sort of tone-deafness that makes him uniquely unsuited for the job.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen last we saw Nigel \u2014 in the closing joke of the 1984 film \u2014 he was speculating about what he might do if the band broke up: working as a salesman in a \u201chaberdasher\u201d or a \u201cchapeau shop.\u201d That wasn\u2019t far from the mark: He sells cheese and guitars in a town called Berwick-Upon-Tweed. David still composes, proudly demonstrating a piece of award-winning hold music he wrote, while bass guitarist Derek went on to perform alone (his solo hit, \u201cHell Toupee,\u201d is the film\u2019s funniest \u201cnew\u201d song). If the lawyers say they owe Faith one last show, who are they to argue? And so the trio meet up in New Orleans, where they hold auditions for a new drummer.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, if you know the original film, that idea is sure to make you laugh (the band is uniquely cursed in that every single one of their drummers died of outlandish causes). But you needn\u2019t be a Taphead to enjoy \u201cThe End Continues.\u201d The movie serves the nostalgia set by rehashing classic gags, the way any legacy band might riff on favorite tunes, even as it aims to bring younger viewers into the fold. Here, we get a fresh version of \u201cStonehenge\u201d with appropriately scaled druid decor (for once), as well as some gratuitous flatulence to accompany the band\u2019s fanny-fetish staple, \u201cBig Bottom,\u201d inspiring Nigel to deliver a philosophical monologue on the merits of the fart joke.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt 83 minutes, the sequel doesn\u2019t overstay its welcome, focusing mainly on the tensions that cause famous bands to break up and the ridiculous pressures the music industry now puts on artists (delivered by Addison\u2019s tone-deaf label rep). This isn\u2019t the first time Spinal Tap has reunited \u2014 at least four songs from their 1992 album \u201cBreak Like the Wind\u201d feature here \u2014 although it would\u2019ve been nice to get a few more original tunes. Derek suggests one possibility with the career-encompassing new single \u201cRockin\u2019 the Urn,\u201d though it\u2019s only heard in rough form.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSpinal Tap II\u201d seems designed to let audiences relive their four-decade love affair with a spoof band that so successfully channeled the spirit of heavy metal \u2014 with its inflated egos and faux-satanic imagery \u2014 that it ultimately earned a place alongside the likes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. The 1984 film came from a place of respect, not derision, allowing McKean, Guest and Shearer (each of whom could really play) to pay homage to a style of music that was all swagger and showmanship.<\/p>\n

\n\tLooking back, there really wasn\u2019t much difference between a bejeweled Elton John doing a piano handstand and ultra-dark Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off a bird onstage. To quote the original movie, \u201cIt\u2019s such a fine line between stupid and clever.\u201d In this new-original sequel, however, the Spinal Tap trio seem older and wiser, and that\u2019s a shame, since their dim-witted antics (going in circles trying to find the stage or rationalizing an all-black album cover) became the stuff of legend. The band may be forever banned from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but in a way, this late-career concert proves a far better tribute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With Spinal Tap, the joke never gets old, even if the hilarious-as-ever heavy metal trio is now bordering…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":148289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[91564,88,91843,91565,91235],"class_list":{"0":"post-148288","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-christopher-guest","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-michael-mckean","11":"tag-rob-reiner","12":"tag-spinal-tap-ii-the-end-continues"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}