--- title: "This Is Spinal Tap: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/this-is-spinal-tap/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/this-is-spinal-tap" critics_score: 91 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # This Is Spinal Tap (1984): what the critics said Critics' score 91 from 14 reviews: 14 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimous, which is rare. Every critic we have read counts the film a success, and most of them count it among the most durable comedies of its decade. The praise clusters around the mock-documentary form, which several reviewers credit with starting a genre, and around the largely improvised dialogue and the band’s own songs. Nearly everyone notes that the joke is affectionate rather than cruel: the band are fragile and deluded, and the film likes them anyway. The Stonehenge number and the lyrics come up repeatedly. The spread is narrow. Nothing sits below the positive line, and the differences are of degree. The nearest thing to a reservation is Variety’s early notice, which treats it as a satire pitched chiefly at music-business insiders. Sight and Sound is unusual in dwelling on the American cast’s handling of British accents and pub-musician manners. Several later reviews are of re-releases, and all of them say it has not dated. ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 5/5. The critic describes it as a brilliantly crafted and completely on-target satire of the rock industry filmed in mock-documentary style. The Stonehenge production number and crass song lyrics are highlighted as standout elements. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hpg06s/this-is-spinal-tap/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 21 January 2001. The critic hails the film as one of the funniest ever made, praising its affectionate portrayal of the band's fragile egos and the way it captures the gap between their delusions and reality through subtle, improvised details. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-this-is-spinal-tap-1984) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 5/5. 20 September 2024. The review calls the film comedy gold and entirely unimprovable, noting its status as the best comedy movie of all time in a Time Out poll. It singles out the largely improvised dialogue and the band’s original songs for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/this-is-spinal-tap) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic hails it as the greatest laugh-out-loud comedy of the 1980s and an influential, cinematically innovative mockumentary that created a new genre while delivering both broad gags and genuine emotional stakes around the band’s internal conflicts. The film’s seamless parody of rock excess and self-delusion is singled out. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-spinal-tap-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2000. The critic finds the re-release as entertaining and sharp as the original, praising its pioneering mockumentary style and the timeless humor in the band's scenarios and dialogue. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-sep-08-ca-17307-story.html) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the mockumentary consistently convincing and generally hilarious, praising the American cast’s precise handling of British accents, slang and pub-musician mannerisms. The group’s squabbles and managers’ arguments are singled out as especially well done. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/consistently-convincing-generally-hilarious-this-spinal-tap-reviewed-1984) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2025. The critic praises the film's enduring cult status as an instant classic and its laser-precise skewering of 1980s heavy metal excess and touring woes. They single out the Criterion 4K transfer and comprehensive extras for making the mockumentary's humor and cultural impact even more accessible. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/this-is-spinal-tap-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-rob-reiner/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 August 2025. The critic praises the film as a groundbreaking and still-joyful classic mockumentary whose gags and improvisational style have aged brilliantly. They single out its shrewd satire of rock masculinity and the music business for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/21/this-is-spinal-tap-review-rerelease) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating Critic’s Pick. 2 March 1984. The critic finds the mockumentary a witty, mischievous satire and labor of love that is affectionate rather than mean-spirited. It stays so close to its subject that it is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/02/movies/film-this-is-spinal-tap-a-mock-documentary.html) ## The Times — Tom Cox Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2000. The critic celebrates the film's cult status and flawless parody of every rock band cliché across its career arc. The re-release and DVD extras make its catchphrases and relevance even more ingrained. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/deaf-metal-7w26tg85076) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic calls the film a deserved cult hit whose unsparing, accurate dissection of the rock business and the culture-clash comedy of British musicians adrift in America remains unsurpassed. Plausible tour catastrophes and authentic details are singled out for praise in this re-release review. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/tap-of-the-pops-6331648.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1983. The film is a vastly amusing satire of heavy metal bands for music biz insiders. Reiner and cowriters have fun creating mock footage and filling the fringes with hilariously authentic music-biz types. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1983/film/reviews/this-is-spinal-tap-a-rockumentary-by-martin-dibergi-1200425890/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2008. The critic calls it a masterpiece of observational comedy that stands out for its deep affection for heavy metal and its subjects. She highlights the endearing band characters, quotable lines, clever editing, and rewatch value. [Read the review](https://eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/this-is-spinal-tap-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 March 2019. The critic praises the mockumentary for hilariously exposing truths about the music industry and rock biopics that no serious film matches. It singles out the film's timeless satire and relevance, especially against modern biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2019/03/classic-film-review-this-is-spinal-tap/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/this-is-spinal-tap.md