Before he changed the way we view rom-coms in When Harry Met Sally…, fantasy adventures with The Princess Bride and Stephen King adaptations with both Stand by Me and Misery, Rob Reiner helped revitalize the mockumentary genre with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer in This Is Spinal Tap. While not a blockbuster hit at the time, it put them all on the map and became a cult classic in the 41 years since. With the movie getting a re-release ahead of its sequel, I had the chance to watch the 4K restoration, which made me realize my biggest flaw with the film.

Co-written by the aforementioned four, but largely improvised, This Is Spinal Tap serves as a faux documentary exploration of the тιтular fictional English heavy metal band as they embark on a United States concert tour to promote their new album. Taking a somewhat non-linear approach to its format, the movie oscillates between chronicling their early days, when they underwent numerous roster and genre changes, to their current tour, in which they face hurdles including creative differences, declining popularity, and canceled tour locations.

This Is Spinal Tap’s Loose Story Structure Drags In Parts

Good Jokes Can Only Carry The Film So Far

With the movie being inspired by everything from the Bob Dylan-focused Dont Look Back to The Band-centered The Last Waltz, This Is Spinal Tap takes what is a fairly straightforward approach to the rock documentary structure. It begins with a brief oversight of the group’s origins before focusing on their current tour. Given Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer set out to satirize the rock band lifestyle and industry, these building blocks initially work, as showcasing their early years in the folk and flower power genres feels both authentic and hysterical.

However, even at just 82 minutes long, the movie’s structure begins to wane around the halfway point as it really feels like the group is more focused on the movie’s jokes than they are delivering an actual story. Granted, given the movie’s present-day story is technically meant to be just a chapter in Spinal Tap’s history rather than their entire arc, it could be argued that it didn’t need a fully-realized plot, particularly since it ends with the group revitalized and off on a new tour.

All the same, as much fun as the group is to watch, the lack of a story does make the film feel long in the tooth as we wonder where it’s ultimately building to. By comparison, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping follows a very similar formula to This Is Spinal Tap and is only five minutes longer, and yet The Lonely Island brought a better balance to their storytelling and comedy by giving us emotional stakes that escalate in a quick enough fashion to keep us invested.

This Is Spinal Tap’s Mix Of Improv & Script Is Nicely Blurred

There Are Points I Legitimately Can’t Tell Which Is Which

The lack of story may work against the film, but it’s hard to deny that This Is Spinal Tap still largely soars thanks to its humor, which is plenty highbrow in its satirization of both the rock and documentary genres (even when it occasionally throws in the easy target jokes). For every moment in which I was guffawing at the band getting lost backstage and jabs at The Beatles’ White Album, I was similarly getting a kick out of their mix-up between 18 inches and 18 feet.

One of the biggest surprises, after over 40 years, is how nigh-impossible it is to determine what is actually improvised and what’s scripted in the film. Besides set pieces that would obviously need to be scripted to put the sets together, such as the failed Stonehenge stage show, there are very few moments in the dialogue where I could tell the group was coming up with it on the spot. It not only speaks to their creative smarts, but also to their dedication to their characters.

Reiner’s Direction & The Movie’s Soundtrack Are Still Incredible

I Want To Rock Out As Much As Laugh At The Film’s Dedication

At the time the movie came out, This Is Spinal Tap genuinely fooled many viewers into believing it to be a genuine documentary rather than a mockumentary. Even today, it’s clear to see why. Reiner’s direction and Peter Smokler’s cinematography studied real rock documentaries to capture the same visual palette as some of the most iconic, particularly the behind-the-scenes interviews and faux archive footage of the group’s earlier performances, which look properly faded and sH๏τ in a way that homages those shows as much as satirizes them.

Just as remarkable as Reiner’s direction is This Is Spinal Tap‘s soundtrack, also produced by Guest, McKean, and Shearer. Performed by the trio, David Kaff and Ric Parnell, the latter two of whom were musicians at the time, the lyrics of the album are truly hysterical, particularly “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight” and “Big Bottom”, but the actual composition of the songs are still thoroughly exciting and bombastic that make them just as easy to rock out to as laugh with.

With the long-awaited Spinal Tap sequel on the horizon, not only am I curious to see how their new album turns out, but also if there’s a better story driving it forward.

This Is Spinal Tap The Golden 41st Anniversary 4K Restoration will be in theaters from July 5-7.