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R
for language including some sexual references.
Starring
Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Rob Reiner, Elton John
Director
Rob Reiner
Producer
Frank Marshall
Genres
Comedy
Documentary
Music
Released by
Bleecker Street on
9/12/2025
Nationwide
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Trailer
Review
No reasonable person could expect the long-gestating Spinal Tap II to match the comedic brilliance of the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap. Still, it's disheartening to see just how far Rob Reiner's follow-up has fallen. While the film does deliver a few solid laughs (though none that truly hit an 11), it ultimately falls flat, feeling less like a theatrical mockumentary and more like an overlong streaming special.
Reiner, long resistant to making sequels, agreed to this one largely because of a lingering rights dispute over the original film. The four creators - Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer - had sued Vivendi, Studio Canal, and Universal Music Group, alleging they were denied their fair share of profits and soundtrack royalties from This Is Spinal Tap. With the rights now securely in their hands, Reiner saw a sequel as a way to both revisit the beloved characters and, in some sense, rebalance the financial score.
Alas, the creative spark seems to have dimmed. Spinal Tap II (officially titled Spinal Tap II: The End Continues) plays more like an obligation than a genuine creative endeavor. While I laughed out loud a handful of times, much of the humor falls flat, and the narrative often drags - most noticeably during the drawn-out sequences in which Marty Di Bergi (Reiner) reunites with bandmates Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer).
The premise - richer in satiric potential than the mostly improvised screenplay ever delivers - finds the aging metal trio coaxed out of retirement by their late manager's daughter, Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman), to stage a one-off reunion concert. Despite lingering tensions between Nigel and David, the band agrees, with Marty once again documenting the proceedings. For the most part, hilarity fails to materialize, though the climactic twist on "Stonehenge" is a rare bright spot.
The three leads slip back into their alter egos with ease - aided, no doubt, by the fact that Guest, McKean, and Shearer have continued to perform as Spinal Tap in concert over the years. (There was even a direct-to-video sequel, The Return of Spinal Tap, in 1992.) Spinal Tap II sprinkles in a few familiar faces from the original - most notably Fran Drescher and Paul Shaffer - alongside two high-profile guest stars. Paul McCartney's cameo, unfortunately, is awkward, his expression frozen in a deer-in-the-headlights stare, while Elton John fares far better, lending his vocals to both "Flower People" and "Stonehenge."
Spinal Tap II offers less music than its predecessor, and much of what remains is recycled "greatest hits" material - including a novelty snippet of country stars Randy Travis and Trisha Yearwood singing "Big Bottom." The climactic concert, however, is the film's clear high point. When the septuagenarian trio step onto the stage before a mostly adoring live audience, the energy belatedly arrives.
Ultimately, Spinal Tap II serves as yet another cautionary tale about the perils of trying to rekindle the magic of a singular classic. While nothing here tarnishes the brilliance of the 1984 original, the sequel plays more like a middling epilogue - better suited as a DVD bonus feature than a theatrical release. Like the nostalgia-fueled music revival it seeks to parody, Spinal Tap II overlooks a simple truth: sometimes it's better to imagine a reunion than to actually stage one.
© 2025 James Berardinelli
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