I have seen many of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries, but for some reason I had yet to view This is Spinal Tap (1984).  It is not for lack of trying.  For whatever reason, the two places that I would normally go to stream a movie would not let me watch it for free or rent it, only giving me the option to permanently purchase the film.  I have enjoyed Guest’s work, and heard good things about today’s example, but I did not want to commit to it before watching it all the way through at least once instead of the bits and pieces already seen at various times.  It was not until I recently found it on Hulu that I was finally able to put it on without complication.

I am not sure if This is Spinal Tap is the first ever mockumentary, but they begin it like the other films it is making fun of with an interview of the director of what you are being led to think is a genuine piece, Martin “Marti” Di Bergi (Rob Reiner).  He is talking about how in 1982 he followed what has been labeled as England’s “loudest band,” which is the eponymous group.  Marti picks up with the group as they are beginning their tour of the United States to promote their new album, Smell the Glove.  The band’s mainstays are vocalist David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) on base, and lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), and they are all clueless.  An example of this is how they are all unaware of the implications of the fact that most of their fans seem to be young boys.  While they have managed to keep it together since the 1960s, there have been a steady stream of other people who have been a part of a group that has also changed names several times.  In particular, the drummer has seen a lot of turnover, most of them dying in some tragic accident, including spontaneous explosion.  Their newest release features a cover that is described in some rather explicit terms which need not be enumerated, but are also sexist, something they also need to have explained to them.  When a promoter, Bobbi Flekman (Fran Drescher), points out the awful nature of this image, the change is carried out by their manager, Ian Faith (Tony Hendra).  I am telling this out of order for the story, but the new art is all black, nothing else, just a black square.  Part of the fun of this is listening to them all rationalize this look.  Because this is a mockumentary, as they deal with their ineptitude and put on concerts, you see several interviews with the members that gives their backstories.  For example, there is Nigel’s vast collections of guitars, some of which you cannot look at, much less touch.  The concert footage is hilarious, too, such as when Derek is stuck inside of a cocoon-like pod from which they emerge in order to play a song.  While the other two carry on playing, you see roadies frantically trying to free the base player, only managing to do so after the others have finished and returned to the casing.  With these kinds of issues, you see their show venues steadily decrease in overall size and the number of attendees.  Yet, the real problem comes when they decide to have a new look for their Stonehenge number.  Nigel draws a crude sketch of a prop he would like built, giving for dimensions that he would like it to be “18″” high.  He believes this means eighteen feet instead of eighteen inches as he had written it.  Ian passes the note along as is, and is shocked when it comes back to the stated height and it is not a model.  Nonetheless, he attempts to pass it off as being what the group wants.  In the middle of the related number, the small stone monument is lowered onto the stage, and dancing next to it are a pair of little people dressed as leprechauns.  In the subsequent argument with Ian, David points out that the problem is that their manager is overworked, which is what led to this embarrassing mistake.  To solve the situation, David proposes that his vapid girlfriend, Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick), become a co-manager.  Ian will have nothing of it and immediately quits.  This leaves Jeannine as the de facto person in charge, and she is not equipped, to say the least, to get them high profile gigs and keep the momentum going for their album.  This also brings tension between David and Nigel, with Nigel not liking the ideas that Jeanine brings into their group.  For him, the final straw comes when they are doing a show at an army base, except it is more for the kids that live on the grounds instead of for the soldiers.  When radio feedback starts interfering with Nigel’s guitar, he slams the instrument down and walks off the stage.  David is blasé about the matter, as well as about allowing Derek to rebrand their sound as an experimental jazz group.  This alienates their already dwindling fanbase.  All the same, Nigel appears later at one of their shows.  While Jeanine is not thrilled about him being there, David lets him back on stage to rejoin the band.  We also eventually see that Ian comes back.  What it means for their success the film does not say.  Finally, as the end credits roll, they show a number of extra interviews with all the group members.

This is Spinal Tap is a funny movie, but hard to talk about from a Catholic perspective.  There are a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is what their current drummer Mick Shrimpton (R. J. Parnell) says about his motivation for being with the group: sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.  The music part is fine, but the other two are problematic.  Such a lifestyle takes away from experiencing God by dulling the senses that He gave us in order to interact with him.  There are some other oblique references to Christianity, which are meant to be satirical, such as how they once called one of their albums The Gospel According to Spinal Tap.  Actually, that one is just plain blasphemy.  There is also the moment when David makes the claim that his last name is from an actual saint.  This is firmer ground for a Catholic film reviewer.  For the record, there is no St. Hubbins.  However, I did like that he adds that St. Hubbins is the patron saint of quality footwear.  This is meant to also be satirical, but you might be surprised by how many patron saints there are, and each of these venerable people have at least one patronage.  In case you are wondering, the making of shoes falls under the purview of Sts. Crispin and Crispinian.  They were early Christian martyrs, but they, too, have multiple things in which they specialize, such as saddle making and tanning.  Most Catholics find out about these things when they are going through the Confirmation process.  The Confirmandi are asked to choose a saint to be their sort of heavenly advocate as they enter into full Communion with the Church.  When I worked as a youth minister, a popular saint was St. Sebastian, another Christian killed for the Faith in the early centuries, who is the patron saint of athletes.  Mine is St. Francis of Assisi because I was reading a book about him at the time of my Confirmation and was inspired.  As for David, I am sure his line about St. Hubbins and quality footwear is intended as random as I can see no connection between shoes and his character.

For a movie that is supposed to feature sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, This is Spinal Tap does not have much of such material.  There is a bit of swearing, but then again, I guess they are supposed to be British.  There are also some genuinely funny parts, though I would not let the young ones see it.  Otherwise, proceed!