With his masterpiece This Is Spinal Tap, Rob Reiner not only coined the phrase “mockumentary”, but set the bar for an entire subgenre of films, probably forever. This is Spinal Tap takes the form of a behind-the-scenes documentary with a fictional heavy metal band (Spinal Tap) as they head out on a US tour, mocking both the pretension and self-importance of headliner rock bands and the worshipful attention of movies like Gimme Shelter and The Last Waltz. Spinal Tap works as a satire of bands and a satire of movies about bands, both of which deserve all the satire they get.

So many of its jokes have entered the common vocabulary. Its techniques of improvisational dialogue and documentary-style shooting and editing were copied but never surpassed. And the fictional band actually went out on tour, which is both maybe the biggest compliment you can pay the film (and also ineffably weird).

This screening is held in the Historic Duncan Auditorium. This space utilizes open seating for this event, seat selection is not required.