Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

 In 1984, moviegoers were introduced - if they hadn't watched The T.V. Show in 1979 - to the most famous fictional rock band of all time in the most famous musical mockumentary of all time. They are Spinal Tap, stars of This Is Spinal Tap, and this is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

Rob Reiner, and his cinematic alter-ego Marty DiBergi, tell us what the band has been up to since the first movie. Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), the lead guitarist, has a guitar-and-cheese shop in Ireland. David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), the lead singer, now composes for true crime podcasts. Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), the bassist, now runs a glue museum. Fifteen years earlier, the band tapped out because of tensions between Nigel & David. It turns out they're contractually obligated to play one last show, which they'll do in New Orleans. Marty and his crew film the band as they prepare for showtime. That's basically it.

I admit that I'm not much of a "taphead," being only vaguely familiar with a few of their jokes (like their speakers that go up to eleven, and the high turnover rate of their drummers) and their guest spot on The Simpsons. That said, I found plenty of delightful silliness packed into 83 minutes. Their new manager, Simon Howler (Chris Addison), is tone deaf in more ways than one. They lodge in a "ghost house" haunted by living tour groups. They get some weird auditionees for drummer, none more so than somebody from the Blue Man Group. We also get Nigel's weird fixation with cheese, an unfortunate incident at Derek's museum, and a pretty entertaining set list (mostly oldies).

What can I say about the characters? Well, for starters, Nigel & David have the only compelling story thread. As the concert nears, we’re told that something happened between these lifelong friends. Well, we find out why late into the film, and it's quite the Act Two bombshell. You'll have to find out for yourself what it is, but they do have a nice reconciliation afterwards. Derek's fine, but it's pretty fun to hear Shearer break into his Otto voice from The Simpsons in live action. A few supporting players return with their own humorous anecdotes. One of them, Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick), figures into the big bombshell, though I didn't realize the connection until after the movie. Did I spoil too much?

Who knows if Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will raise your afternoon up to eleven? But I think its brand of silliness will make your afternoon interesting. You might get the most mileage out of its story if you've already watched the first film. Those who haven't, like me, will have a lot to catch up to. If you want to see it big, see it now, for the end might end sooner than you think. Don't believe me? My local theater plans to demote it to a single nighttime showing starting Monday! Will it be around next weekend? Stay tuned ...

... Or not.