Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues struggles to sustain even 82 minutes of runtime

Christopher Guest has never made a sequel.

It never made sense to. The collection of films he’s best known for are satirical mockumentaries that skewer – with a dash of love – specific subcultures such as dog show competitions and folk bands.

They are self-contained stories that flit into a world and flit out but leaving a lasting, hilarious impression. None have ever cried out for a revisit.

And yet.

Forty-one years after This is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary so convincing that, anecdotally, some audiences thought it was about a real band, rocked their way into the cultural consciousness, the group is back.

Um, yay?

The core company of Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner, who also directed the original and this sequel, have returned, a little older but not much wiser.

The contrivance for the onscreen reunion is as thus. After the first film, Spinal Tap went on to have a successful career until a bust-up 15 years put an end to things permanently.

Now, the daughter (Kerry Godliman) of their former manager Ian Faith (actor Tony Hendra died in 2021) inherited the band’s contract, in which they owed one more concert. With Spinal Tap’s hit song Big Bottom going viral thanks to a recent performance from Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (playing themselves), Hope sees an opportunity.

Marty DiBergi (Reiner) tracks everyone down for another film. He finds Nigel (Guest) as the proprietor of a cheese shop, David (McKean) as a composer for podcasts and hold music, and Derek (Shearer) running a glue museum.

It’s not a seamless reunion as questions and tension remain over their disbanding, and the ravages of age catches up with the now white-haired rockers.

Look, there are some pretty good jokes here and there (there’s a symphony called Hell Toupee, and Nigel’s propensity to hide mini pieces of cheese in his guitar) but there’s no cohesion and certainly no point to Spinal Tap 2.

It runs out of steam very quickly and even cameo appearances from Paul McCartney and Elton John as themselves fail to inject much energy back into the film.

It just muddles along with the occasional effective vignette but the film never comes together as a whole. It doesn’t have anywhere near the cracking spirit and smarts of the original This is Spinal Tap, which felt relentless (in a good way) and undeniable in its comedy while exploring the absurdities of the music industry.

There’s nothing really here about ageing, friendship or fame, and how that evolves over decades among the only people in the world who have gone through exactly what you have.

The worst part is that at only 82 minutes, you’ll still find yourself restless and wondering when is it going to wrap up. There wasn’t even enough funny material to sustain that length with the final act basically just a concert film.

Even the 18-feet Stonehenge wasn’t worth sticking around for.

Let’s hope Guest doesn’t continue the end to any of his other classics.

Rating: 2/5

Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues is in cinemas on September 25