‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ Review: A Fun-Enough Sequel

Considering that Black Sabbath reunited just before it was too late, The Who are currently on their umpteenth farewell tour, and Megadeth has just announced their final farewell go-around, this seems the perfect time for the return of the most beloved (fictional) hard rock band to hit the screen. Arriving 41(!) years after its mockumentary predecessor that achieved cult film status, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues marks the big-screen reappearance of Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Derek Small (Harry Shearer) in all their ridiculous glory. Not to mention well-meaning but frequently befuddled documentary filmmaker Martin DiBergi (Rob Reiner), once again chronicling the band, this time as they embark on a reunion concert after breaking up 15 years ago.

The sequel, once again written, or more likely improvised, by the four principals, hews closely to the template of the first film. DiBergi, whose career hasn’t exactly flourished after his first Spinal Tap documentary, catches up with the band members in their present-day lives: Nigel is the proprietor of a northern England cheese and guitar shop; David lives in Morro Bay, California, and composes soundtracks for murder-themed podcasts and on-hold phone music; and Derek runs a museum devoted to glue, which has its risks if you’re personally intent on demonstrating the exhibits.

Despite personal differences and lingering resentments, the band heads to New Orleans to perform their final show. But first they must find a new drummer, since their previous ones tended to meet unfortunate ends. After a series of disastrous auditions and being turned down by the likes of Questlove, Lars Ulrich, and Chad Smith, they find the talented and vivacious Didi (Valerie Franco, getting into the anarchic spirit), whom Derek naturally wastes no time hitting on.

They also have a new P.R. man in the form of the pretentious Simon (Chris Addison), whose best advice to the group is that one or more of them should die for the sake of ticket sales. Rehearsing for the upcoming gig, they’re visited by such luminaries as Paul McCartney, whose suggestions to the band go unheeded (“We’ll take it under advisement,” Nigel sniffs) and Elton John, who professes to being a longtime fan. Various merch tie-ins are pitched to the band, including “Spinal Tap Water,” which is exactly what it sounds like.

The humor is very droll and deadpan but, as the above examples indicate, more chuckle-inducing than hysterically funny. As with so many belated follow-ups, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues mainly coasts on nostalgia and affection for the original, to the point where it includes cameos from such veterans of the first film as Fran Drescher and Paul Schaffer. There’s also a nod to the late Tony Hendra, who played the band’s manager Ian Faith, with Kerry Godliman as Faith’s daughter Hope. John Michael Higgins, a mainstay of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries, makes a welcome if brief appearance as a Jack LaLanne-style exercise guru faced with the dubious task of getting the Spinal Tap members in shape. 

Some of the gags are esoteric, to say the least, such as the band members posing for a picture exactly like the classic Crosby, Stills & Nash album cover, shot by the actual photographer, Henry Diltz. Other bits quickly wear out their welcome, including the ghost tours frequently wandering into the New Orleans house where the band is staying.

But there’s also plenty to enjoy, with Guest, McKean and Shearer, who have embodied their silly English characters in many incarnations since the original film, so comfortable and amusing in their roles that you can’t help but giggle at times. Needless to say, the sequence depicting the reunion concert is a hoot, especially the “Stonehenge” number, featuring Elton John handling the lead vocals, which winds up even more disastrously than the original.