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Documentarian Marty DiBergi follows estranged Spinal Tap bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls as they search for a drummer and prepare for a reunion concert in New Orleans. Joined by music royalty Paul McCartney and Elton John, Spinal Tap wrestles with their checkered past to put on a show that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll.
Director: Rob Reiner
Cast: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Fran Drescher, Valerie Franco, Chris Addison, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Questlove, Trisha Yearwood, Chad Smith, Lars Ulrich
Release Date: September 12, 2025
Genre: Comedy, Music
Rated R for language including some sexual references.
Runtime: 1h 22m
Review:
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues might not reach the heights of the original, but it still serves as a fitting encore to the story and characters. Rob Reiner returns behind the camera and onscreen as documentarian Marty DiBergi with impressive ease on both counts. The 40-year gap between the two films makes for plenty of fertile ground for the mockumentary to spoof since we have our fair share of aging rockstars still on the scene. The offscreen drama after the original film revitalized the band’s career isn't too complicated or deep but it makes perfect sense for these characters. Michael McKean's David St. Hubbins is still the chaotic mess we met in the original film and is as petty as ever as he's forced to rejoin the band due to some fine print in their original contract. It’s the perfect kind of pretext to bring the Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer's characters back together. A montage of what these characters have been doing in the years since their break up is a hilarious appetizer for the main entree of these three guys trying to prep for a 1-night reunion performance. Their ability to recapture the character's general vibe is pretty impressive as all three jump back into each one skin without missing a beat. The assorted obstacles they run into as they reform and attempt to get this show off the ground is perfectly in line with the kind of self-inflicted silliness of the original even if they're not quite as memorable as the original. It was always going to be a tough act to follow, and they don't have that seminal moment like this "this one goes to 11" but there's still plenty to enjoy especially their ongoing search for a new drummer and their living quarters in New Orleans. Valerie Franco's Didi Crockett ends up tempting fate and joining the band as the new drummer. Franco brings a breath of fresh air to the ensemble with her effervescent, positive energy coming through the screen. Chris Addison, as their new concert promotor who can't comprehend music, Simon Howler gets more than a few moments to shine with his deadpan delivery of a variety of increasingly insensitive and silly suggestions for the aging rockers. A series of cameos are all fun but Paul McCartney and Elton John get the biggest amount of screen time and they're clearly having a ball goofing around with the "legendary" band. The film moves at an incredibly fast pace which leaves you wishing Reiner had given some moments a bit more time to germinate before moving on since some of the latter moments have a rather reflective quality that brings the character's full circle emotionally. It would have added another layer to the whole thing but as is Spinal Tap II: The End Continue delivers the goods especially for fans of the original film.
B+
