This movie showing the funny side of heavy metal is first class! You get to know Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls, and every drummer that has lived and died for Spinal Tap also including all of Nigel Tufnel's favorite guitars. The only bad thing about this movie is the 23 f words, but they are short and infrequent usually execpt for a scene where they try to record in a studio and it has alot of f words so you can skip it. But all in all a hilarious movie from first to last for all 12 and up!
This Is Spinal Tap
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Is it age appropriate?
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Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Hilarious, ribald, drug-filled rock send-up.
updated 10.23.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14 and Up
The good stuff
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What to watch out for
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What Parents Need to Know
This review of This Is Spinal Tap was written by Afsheen Nomai
Parents need to know that Spinal Tap is a fictional band, and Rob Reiner's classic "mockumentary" about them highlights their failure. There are moments when the language gets a bit heavy with curse words, but they tend to be short and sporadic. Violence and sex are almost non-existent except for the songs, which tend to be heavy with sexual innuendo. Lots of references to drugs and alcohol. But much of the humor will go right over younger kids' head.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the difference between a documentary and a mockumentary. How can you tell which is which?
- The movie can jump-start a great discussion about the role of marketing in the music business. How much of their success (or lack thereof) does Spinal Tap owe to marketing versus their own (clear lack of) talent?
- What is director Reiner trying to say to the audience about the music industry?
- How does this movie's subject matter relate to the current pop music scene?
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More on This Is Spinal Tap
What’s the Story?
In THIS IS SPINAL TAP, documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) follows the British heavy metal band Spinal Tap on their tour of North America in 1982. The band is besieged by bad luck (their drummers keep dying off under bizarre circumstances), poor taste, and questionable talent. The main members of the band, David (Michael McKean), Nigel (Christopher Guest), and Derek (Harry Shearer) are so over the top with their performances as rock stars that it's almost impossible for anyone to take them seriously, including their fans, their record company, and their manager(s).
Is It Any Good?
When This Is Spinal Tap was released, people truly thought it was a documentary about a real band. People would even come up to director Rob Reiner, telling him that he made a great documentary, but should have filmed a better-known band. But make no mistake, while Spinal Tap is a tragic failure of a band, this film is top quality humor.
This Is Spinal Tap is solid entertainment, especially for those who are huge fans of rock music. The film is mostly ad-libbed by the actors, who all give side-splitting performances. While watching this film, you can't help but cringe and laugh at the band members as they deal with repeated disappointment and disaster. Classic scenes include Nigel talking about amps that go up to 11, the band attempting to harmonize "Heartbreak Hotel" at the foot of Elvis's grave, and, of course, Stonehenge. Appropriate for rock music fans over the age of 13.
Movie Details
Studio: MGM/UA, Director: Rob Reiner
Run time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release: 4/1/1984, DVD release: 9/12/2004
MPAA Rating: R
Run time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release: 4/1/1984, DVD release: 9/12/2004
MPAA Rating: R
Our Members Say
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Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
I love these types of movies!
The big problem in this movie is the language. There is a lot of cursing. However, if you are into music I recommend you see this. It is funny.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
A Great spoof of the Rock-n-Roll Life. I highly reccommend it!
Awesome movie! Most of the songs have sexual innuendo, but it is all stuff that you would only get if you are old enough to know about it. If you have a mature 13 year old its fine, but anyone younger probably shouldn't see this movie.
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