The First ‘Spinal Tap’ Sequel Is a Forgotten Disappointment
More than 40 years after the original film wowed comedy fans and enraged real life rock stars, This is Spinal Tap has spawned a sequel: Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, which hits theaters this weekend. And we sure hope it’s better than the first Spinal Tap sequel.
While it doesn’t get talked about all that much, especially now that Tap has reunited for a theatrical follow-up to This is Spinal Tap, back in 1992, the fake band produced the concert film A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out, which later became known as The Return of Spinal Tap on home video.
The latter title sure made it seem as though the VHS release was a direct continuation of the first movie, much to the confusion of video store patrons in the pre-internet age. But most of the runtime was dedicated to the group’s Royal Albert Hall concert, in support of their album Break Like the Wind.
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The video did supplement the performance with scenes that acted as a sort of pseudo-sequel to the first movie. We catch up with documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi (played once again by Rob Reiner) who’s working in a hallway outside of a men’s room. And DiBergi alludes to some of the new movie’s apparent plot threads, namely that the band thought that his movie was a “hatchet job.”
The Return of Spinal Tap also shows us where each of the band’s members ended up after their Japanese tour, which was briefly shown at the end of the movie. Michael McKean’s David St. Hubbins is working for the parks department in Pomona, California. Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) went home to England and got a job with his father’s phone-sanitizing business, Saniphone.
As for Nigel Tufnel (memorably portrayed by Christopher Guest) he spends his days in an “inventing shed,” coming up with nonsensical products such as the foldable wine glass. And Artie Fufkin from Polymer Records, the character played by Paul Shaffer, pops up at one point.
Another similarity to Spinal Tap II, The Return of Spinal Tap features a number of celebrity cameos, including Martin Short, Kenny Rogers, and Mel Tormé. The Velvet Fog even extolls the musical virtues of “Big Bottom,” a joke that has seemingly been recycled with Paul McCartney in the 2025 sequel.
The Return of Spinal Tap isn’t wholly unwatchable, but it does feel like a bit of a bait-and-switch. The back of the VHS packaging heralds that “Spinal Tap is back” with a “full-length concert/comedy video.” But the non-concert footage is mildly amusing at best. Not only is there no narrative throughline to unite behind-the-scenes elements, the members of Spinal Tap don’t appear in any scenes together. Instead of seeing the clueless backstage bickering we’re accustomed to, the trio is wholly separate apart from the musical performance.
Presumably this won’t be an issue in the new movie.
