Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025)

Nigel Tufnel now owns a guitar with a secret compartment for cheese and a grater, and that’s basically the sequel’s mission statement. Spinal Tap II is loose, silly and about as sharp as a butter knife, which mostly works. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer slip back into Nigel, David and Derek like a broken-in leather jacket: one sells cheese and guitars in the north of England, one writes on-hold phone music, one runs a museum of glue. An inherited contract drags them to New Orleans for one final show, Rob Reiner’s Marty DiBergi follows with his camera, and the band has to find a drummer willing to take the job. Critics said it doesn’t touch the original, and they’re right, but the 83 minutes go quick. Opening-night audiences graded it A-minus, then it pulled in just $3.34 million worldwide against a reported $22.6 million budget. A 6.1 because it’s a warm encore, not a new hit. $3,254 says you try to stash a cheese stick inside something that was never designed to hold cheese.

What works: Guest, McKean and Shearer still have perfect chemistry, and the dry, improvised humor lands more often than not.

What doesn’t: It never comes close to the original’s brilliance, and a lot of the laughs lean on nostalgia rather than fresh ideas.

Who it’s for: Anyone who can quote the original and just wants one more evening with the band, no topping required.