Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 24 minutes, Director – Rob Reiner
15 years since they last worked together, Spinal Tap (Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean) reunite for one final concert, if past tensions don’t get in the way.
Reviews have criticised Spinal Tap II for not being a commentary on the current music scene, or at least that as it stands for bands that have been touring for decades. However, The End Continues isn’t that film. There may have been elements of commentary and reaction to rock docs and bands of the late-70s early-80s in the 1984 original, but this long-delayed sequel is more a follow-up for the characters who have lived on in albums and live performances that just that one film.
Spinal Tap took on another life following on from the often-quoted original and that’s somewhat seen in the concert sequence that everything builds up to in this sequel. The band have been apart for 15 years and are working in cheese and guitar shops (Christopher Guest’s still slightly clueless Nigel Tufnel), glue museums (Harry Shearer’s Derek Smalls) or making music for podcast intros (Michael McKean’s David St. Hubbins). After fallings out it’s revealed that the trio still have one final concert to do, and have only two weeks to prep (and find another new drummer).
The wit and quotability may not be as present in the once again largely-improvised set of scenes but there’s still an amusing nature to most instances, even if they don’t quite raise laughs. There are odd chuckles here and there, although not much that’s laugh-out-loud funny, but there’s still something about the characters, and just as importantly the music, which holds engagement. Amongst cameos from the likes of Elton John and Paul McCartney wandering in to the rehearsal room where much of the film takes place, the music starts to be put more front and centre with full performances. Performances which mange to successfully work perhaps because the cast appear to be buying into the music as much as the characters – even during some of the sillier songs.
The central trio still clearly enjoy playing these characters and getting totally lost in them, and when they’re allowed to lead a scene and just back and forth with each other, or director Rob Reiner’s fictional director Marty DiBergi – who appears to be more present here than before – that’s where some of the funniest moments arrive. During more freewheeling scenes where perhaps the most spontaneous improvisation lies – Nigel Tufnel playing around with a constantly growing peddle board delivers a handful of amusing lines in particular.
There may be a number of clear gags that do fall flat, but there’s enough within the tone and style of Spinal Tap II that means that it can see itself through. Maybe if I’d seen this with a bigger audience – instead of just three other people, each on their own and spread out in almost opposite corners of the cinema – then I’d have had a different experience if jokes continued to fall flat. But, as it was there was sporadic chuckles and different things working for different people – and it didn’t seem as if anyone was hating the film. Some perhaps allowing it to pass the time, which it did for 84-minutes, a suitably short run-time that knows it needs to be just that, but at least finding something there to allow that to be the case.
For what there is, however, it’s clear that the film could have turned out a lot, lot worse than it actually is. The chuckles that The End Continues provides, particularly when the characters lead the scene and create their own situations, create enough consistent engagement to see things through, alongside the various song performances which crop up along the way.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues may not quite be turned up to 11, but even if not frequently funny there’s at least enough volume in chuckles, amusement and the music to keep things going for the short run-time, especially when the characters are allowed to lead the scene and run with an idea.
Just A Little Bit Random 