This Is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap is a 1984 American mockumentary comedy film directed by Rob Reiner in his feature directorial debut. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer play members of the parody heavy metal band Spinal Tap. Reiner plays Martin "Marty" Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker following the band's American tour.

The film satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries such as The Song Remains the Same (1976) and The Last Waltz (1978), similarly to what All You Need Is Cash (1978) by the Rutles did for the Beatles. Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer wrote the screenplay, though most of the dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed.

This Is Spinal Tap was released by Embassy Pictures on March 2, 1984, to critical acclaim, but found only modest commercial success in theaters. Its later VHS release brought greater success and a cult following. Credited with launching the mockumentary genre, it is also notable as the origin of the phrase "up to eleven". Deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2002. Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer reprised their roles for the 2025 sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues and the 2026 concert film Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale.