Stubs - Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025) starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner. Directed by Rob Reiner. Screenplay by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner. Based on characters created by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner. Produced by Rob Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner, Matthew George. Run time: 84 minutes. Color. USA. Mockumentary, Comedy

Perhaps proving that you can wait too long between sequels, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the sequel to This is Spinal Tap (1984), came and went at the box office so fast that if you waited more than a week or so, it was already out of theaters. Budgeted at $22.6 million, the film earned only $3.2 million upon release on September 12, 2025. While commercially a failure, the film has apparently found a second life on HBO Max.

While This is Spinal Tap was supposed to be documenting the group’s final tour, they apparently found new life and continued for another quarter century as a band before breaking up 15 years ago and not speaking to one another ever since. In the intervening years, things have changed for the members. David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), now lives in Morro Bay, California and has been reduced playing in a mariachi band and to writing music for podcasts and on-hold music; Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) has opened a little cheese and guitar store in Berwick-upon-Tweed; and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) owns and curates a museum dedicated to glue in London.

They may never talk again, but they are obligated to do one more concert for Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman), the daughter of their now deceased road manager Ian Faith (Tony Hendra), who has inherited a contract that calls for it. Like in the first film, our guide into the world of Spinal Tap is filmmaker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), who is, of course, making a film documenting the concert as well as the prep.

Seen here with Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) is our guide to all things Spinal Tap.

The site has been chosen as New Orleans for their final show and one by one they show up to prepare for the gig. Faith has hired Simon Howler (Chris Addison), a tone-deaf concert promoter, to help her. She thinks he bring a “shitty vibe” and he sees her inexperience as something he can exploit.

Reunited, Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), with the help of the original photographer Herny Diltz, recreate the famous Crosby, Stills and Nash album cover.

The first thing the boys need is a new drummer. Spinal Tap has had legendary bad luck with their drummers, a dozen or so who have died from widely different causes. But it makes it hard for them to get a new one, and they ask some legendary drummers, include Questlove from The Tribe, Chad Smith from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lars Ulrich from Metallica, all of whom turn them down.

The auditions, which include everyone from a bongo player to a member of the Blue Man Group, fail to impress. But Didi Crockett (Valerie Franco) does more than just impress. She also is very careful about her legacy, trying to eat healthy to ward off the curse. They also add a keyboardist, Caucasian Jeff (C.J. Vanston).

Rehearsals are riddled with confrontation between David and Nigel, boyhood friends who have definitely grown apart. Nothing the other does pleases them, from David changing a song to Nigel singing “la-la-la” instead of “ah” as the background for one other earlier hits, “Listen to the Flower People.”

Paul McCartney sits on a rehearsal and plays "Cups and Cakes."

Paul McCartney happens by and tries to offer some writing advice, which David rejects. But they seem to get along long enough to sing one of McCartney’s favorite Tap songs, “Cups and Cakes”. Later Elton John appears and plans to play with them at the concert. In rehearsal he sings “Listen to the Flower People”, but it’s agreed in concert that he’ll sing on “Stonehenge.”

Meanwhile, Simon tries to work on sponsorships for geriatric health devices, which he thinks will appeal to the group’s core audience. And Hope and Simon come up with a plan to rectify the group’s omission for The Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, but featuring them in a new venue, The International House of Rock, which resembles an IHOP restaurant. Perhaps the most brilliant of the tie-ins is Hope's idea for Tap Water, which is tap water served in a glass replica of the Stonehenge they use in concert.

Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman) and her idea for Tap Water.

Just before the big concert, Simon bows out, much to everyone’s disdain. He has a non-Korean K-pop band to manage.

Elton John takes part in the final concert before tragedy strikes.

During the big concert, the group plays through their hits and Elton joins them for the finale, “Stonehenge”. However, because Didi has had the drum stage moved forward, the giant Stonehenge replica proves unstable and falls on them, crushing Elton John, who screams “Fuck Spinal Tap.”

They all end up in the hospital, sharing a ward when Marty visits them, asking if they want this included in the final film.

The film itself ends with the members, now recovered, discussing if they will ever play again together.

As a note, there is a third film, Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale, that was planned for 2026, but the murder of the director, and perhaps the poor box-office performance of this film, has put those plans on hold. Perhaps before 41 more years have passed, we’ll see that film.

While perhaps This is Spinal Tap captured lightning in a bottle, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is still very funny and is better than the box-office would have indicated. Physical, visual and verbal humor abound and there are several very laugh out loud moments. This is a solid comedy, especially if you listen and watch closely. Rob Reiner also directs the film masterfully, never dwelling too long on any one subject but still wringing out all possible comedy from the situations.

The original players all come back as very much older versions of themselves. David and Nigel may fight, but Derek is supposed to be the glue that hold them together, pardon the pun. The interplay between them is the source of much of the humor and all four leads, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Rob Reiner, pick up their roles as if they’ve played them everyday since the first film.

The cameos are also very strong, especially Paul McCartney, who does better than I expected. Perhaps playing himself, he comes off as clever and funny. And while the actors playing Spinal Tap are good musicians, McCartney seems to exude the craft. Elton John, who has appeared in movies before, most recently Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2019), also comes off as more natural.

Valerie Franco plays drummer Didi Crockett.

Someone new to take notice of is real life drummer Valerie Franco, who does not only well for her first film, but is a first rate drummer to boot.

Perhaps because the band members are older, there seem to be themes about death all around the film. From Don Lake as a tour guide bringing ghost-searching tourists through a restaurant the band eats at, to Derek’s new song “Rocking in the Urn”, about his afterlife. It is also very sad that the film is somewhat tainted by the murder of its director, Rob Reiner, and his wife and producer, Michele Singer Reiner, so soon after its release.

But that shouldn’t take away from the film itself. Perhaps Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is a step down from This is Spinal Tap, but it is not that far of a drop. Time will tell if this film ages as well as its predecessor, but I think it will. You may have missed your chance to see it in a theater, but the film is more than worth catching on streaming or owning, like we do, on Blu-Ray.