Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) Bleecker Street/Comedy RT: 84 minutes Rated R (language including some sexual references) Director: Rob Reiner Screenplay: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner and Harry Shearer Music: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner and Harry Shearer Cinematography: Lincoln Else Release date: September 12, 2025 (US) Cast: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Valerie Franco, C.J. Vanston, Kerry Godliman, Chris Addison, Nina Conti, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Fran Drescher, Paul Shaffer, June Chadwick, Questlove, Chad Smith, Lars Ulrich, John Michael Higgins, Don Lake.
Rating: ***
Be patient, I promise I’m going somewhere with this.
The 80s British metal band Def Leppard recently appeared on America’s Got Talent. They performed “Pour Some Sugar on Me” before a screaming audience. Even the judges were into it. I was mighty impressed myself. These guys are in their 60s now and they still rock.
When I first heard about Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, I thought, “Great. Here we go again with another belated sequel. Why now after 40 years?” That’s where the Def Leppard performance comes in. Something just clicked. It hit me like a psychic boomerang. Suddenly, I got what Rob Reiner was up to.
Spinal Tap II isn’t just a needless sequel to a cult comedy beloved by movie geeks and metalheads alike. It’s the next logical step in the fictional band’s story. It happens in real life all time. Bands that were popular decades ago do reunion tours. The aging members get out there on stage and rock stadiums while their fans go crazy. The whole point of Reiner’s new mockumentary (or if you will, “rockumentary”) is goofing on this idea. Only this is Spinal Tap we’re talking about here. Things will not go smoothly.
Filmmaker Marty Di Bergi (Reiner) returns to do another documentary about Spinal Tap, this one centering on their final concert to be held in New Orleans. The guys- lead singer David St. Hubbins (McKean), lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Guest) and bassist Derek Smalls (Shearer)- haven’t spoken in fifteen years. It all stems from some drama involving Nigel and David’s now ex-wife Jeanine (Chadwick). They’ve all gone their separate ways following new dreams. Nigel runs a guitar and cheese store with his girlfriend Moira (Conti). David composes scores for true crime podcasts and telephone hold messages. Derek owns a glue museum.
Their contract, now in the hands of deceased manager Ian’s daughter Hope (Godliman), says they have to perform one last concert. They agree, albeit unenthusiastically, to get back together for one more show. It’s an uneasy reunion as the guys gear up for the show, a gig they wouldn’t have if not for a last-minute cancellation by Stormy Daniels. Spinal Tap II follows them as they deal with the usual (and unusual) nonsense that comes with putting a concert together. The new manager, a corporate twit named Simon (Addison), has a disability. He can’t comprehend music. Finding a new drummer is also on the agenda. It won’t be easy finding one who isn’t afraid of meeting the same fate as their previous eleven percussionists. A few big names (Questlove, Chad Smith and Lars Ulrich) turn down the gig before they bring female drummer Didi (Franco), a big Tap fan, into the fold. She’s sure she can dodge the curse.
Spinal Tap II is a movie for fans only. I don’t think it’s going to score big at the box office. It’s a 41YO movie that most youngsters aren’t familiar with. My friends and I were the only ones in the theater at yesterday evening’s 6:30pm show. We enjoyed it. One of my pals sang along with them. They play the hits like “Hellhole”, “Big Bottom” and (YES!) “Stonehenge”. Elton John, appearing as himself, joins Tap on stage for that last number. It doesn’t just go wrong again, it goes spectacularly wrong this time. It’s one of many funny bits in the film.
It’s been a lean period for comedy at the movies with laughless affairs like The Naked Gun and The Roses. Spinal Tap II has more genuine laughs than the two of them combined. Not every joke hits the mark, but the hits definitely outnumber the misses. A lot of the laughs come from callbacks to the original movie. Return appearances by Fran Drescher and Paul Shaffer will bring a smile to many faces. Paul McCartney shows up for a funny scene where Tap treats him dismissively when he offers advice while they’re rehearsing a new song. You don’t do that to a Beatle, guys!
Reiner, once one of the top directors in the industry, hasn’t had a hit in years. The last one that did a lick of business was 2007’s The Bucket List and it wasn’t even all that great. I doubt Spinal Tap II will restore his place in Hollywood, but it shows he’s still got something. The lead cast, they’re all great. They understand their characters inside and out which shows in the effortless way they jump right back into their roles. Once again, their dialogue is largely improvised. It’s so cool when a director has that much confidence in his actors. Franco makes a nice addition to the cast as the tattooed rocker girl who adroitly and brilliantly dodges Derek’s attempt at a hook-up.
I don’t know what the future holds for Spinal Tap, but I hope Reiner doesn’t wait so long to haul them out on stage for the next final tour.
