With a modest global box-office haul of $100 million USD, the recent reboot of The Naked Gun showed there’s still public interest in spoof comedies.  Now we turn our attention to “mockumentaries” and a sequel to one of the greatest ever made, This is Spinal Tap.  The 1984 movie became a cult phenomenon and fuelled a genre that provided us with hilarious releases including Best in Show, Borat, and What We Do in the Shadows.

The premise of this long-awaited follow-up is formulaic.  We learn Spinal Tap split up 15 years ago and now, because of a clause in an old contract, they must reunite for one final concert.  The bulk of the jokes refer to their old age (the birthday candles cost more than the cake) and their old audience.  Oh, and given the fan base of the first movie, it’s no surprise to see a few real-life musicians making themselves available for quick cameos.  It’s all done and dusted inside of a quick 84 minutes with Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men) returning as director of both the film… and the film within the film.

This isn’t a top-shelf mockumentary, but it’s hard not to smile at the characters’ wacky backstories.  Of the three lead band members, Nigel Tufnel (Guest) now runs a small shop in England where guitars can be exchanged for cheese, and vice-a-versa, based on his estimation of their physical weight.  David St. Hubbins (McKean) moved to California and, in addition to writing music for podcasts, he recently won a “Holdie” award for a distinctive on-hold music jingle.  Derek Smalls (Shearer) resides in London and runs a museum which celebrates the history of glue.

The original This is Spinal Tap will always be the movie people remember more fondly but, just like a classic TV reunion special, this serves as an enjoyable companion piece.  The story isn’t really the focus.  It’s just nice to see the same actors working together again and tapping into the iconic characters which launched their careers forty years ago.