Film Review: Spinal Tap II: The End Continues 

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Director: Rob Reiner
Castle Rock, Stage 6 Films
In Theaters: 09.12.2025

There are times when I get so sick of ‘70s and ’80s nostalgia that I can’t help but yearn for a return to those days, just to escape from the current obsession with looking back on them. As much as I’m a sentimental child of this era, I recognize that whether it’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, these repeated attempts to revisit a movie for the ages can only ever result in making movies for people of a certain age.

It’s been more than four decades since Rob Reiner made his directorial debut with the groundbreaking and brilliant This Is Spinal Tap, the movie that launched the mockumentary genre and there’s an undeniable appeal to seeing (and hearing) the world’s most infamous heavy metal band again. The trio of David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean, Laverne & Shirley Clue), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest, The Princess Bride, Waiting For Guffman) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer, The Simpsons, Teddy Bears’ Picnic) haven’t played together in 15 years, ever since best friends David and Nigel had a falling out and have gone their separate ways. When Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman, We Live In Time), daughter of the band’s former manager, inherits a binding contract for one more performance, the band must come together for a farewell performance in New Orleans. Filmmaker Mary DiBeri (Reiner) is there with his camera once again to capture this chapter in the band’s shaky history, and the trio have a lot to reconcile; their age, their legacy and the lingering curse of an ever-rotating lineup of drummers who have an unfortunate tendency to die spectacularly. As they bring on their twelfth, Didi Crockett (real life drummer Valerie Franco), a spunky and highly skilled musician, she goes to beat the curse through determination and a strict vegan diet. As rock legends including Paul McCartney and Elton John lend their support, Spinal Tap will try to put together a show worthy of cementing their place in rock ‘n’ roll immortality.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues doesn’t try to be the kind of impactful and revolutionary film that the original was, and with good reason. In an age when The Office has become its own genre of sitcom, the improv comedy mockumentary wheel can’t be reinvented by Reiner and company any more than the blockbuster can be by Star Wars, because these upstarts that once flew in the face of the establishment long ago became the establishment. I’d say that’s the bad news, but let’s be honest, it’s not even news. 

The silver (and saggy) lining is that the comedic chemistry of McKean, Guest and Sheerer has aged like a gourmet cheese (which is Nigel’s new obsession), and much of the interplay between them is still so thunderously funny that I literally almost passed out from laughing at one point. The inspired silliness that these men spout is still brilliant and joyous. It brought me so much joy just to be with them again that it’s tempting to dismiss any flaws that the movie has, and yet I can’t quite do that. The near total absence of new songs is disappointing, and as is often the case with these films (by which I mean Spinal Tap and the series of mockumentaries that Guest made to follow in its footsteps). There’s a frustrating tendency not to know when a joke has peaked and to push it until it’s lost a bit of of its genius. There’s also too much emphasis on hitting the familiar and expected beats (and yes, I’m talking about Stonehenge), and while the cameos are fun, they become intrusive at times. There’s no one who can compare to Elton John when it comes to his ability to show up in the spotlight and thinking, “This man is our greatest living treasure” right up until the point when I become so sick of him I want to scream, and when it comes to his acting, a little goes a long way. The final set piece is barely good enough to be called a misfire, and the ending joke is beyond weak. Still, these shortcomings weren’t nearly enough to spoil my fun.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is in many ways more of an event than it is a movie. I know I’m going easy on it, but for me, it’s still an event to celebrate. In a time when laughter is sorely needed, these troublesome troubadours have never been more welcome. I didn’t go in with high expectations, and neither should you. On a scale of 1 to 10, if you’re expecting to get an 11, you’re going to feel very let down by a fairly solid 6. If you just want to laugh and relive some memories, you’ll be just fine. —Patrick Gibbs

Read more film reviews from Patrick Gibbs:
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