This Is Spinal Tap
Ranked 5 of 14 comedy films by recommenders
People recommend this comedy for its lasting influence on humor and its place among a strong run of films by its director.
People recommend this comedy for its lasting influence on humor and its place among a strong run of films by its director.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Lasting influence on comedy and humor
“Nothing had as large an impact on my sense of humor growing up as This is Spinal Tap.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” “the greatgranddaddy of stuff like Parks and Recreation and the Office”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” “an unusually strong and culturally-resonant line of movies”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” Strong run of films by Reiner
“Three great movies that he directed that everyone around my age would be relatively intimately familiar with”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” “an unusually strong and culturally-resonant line of movies”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” Widely regarded as a masterpiece
“count Spinal Tap, Misery and Stand by Me among my favourites”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” “Spinal Tap is a great film, but he did so much more.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner has died” “What an eclectic set of masterpieces.”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Rob Reiner and wife found dead”
Other comedy films people recommend
The four most recommended other comedy films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idiocracy | 43 | 19 | 69% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Coyote v. Acme | 27 | 5 | 84% | 2 | — | — |
| Office Space | 23 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Don't Look Up | 14 | 7 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| This Is Spinal TapThis page | 11 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
10 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The clip on Youtube is a must watch”
“I loved the original but its pacing wasn’t all that great.”
“This is Spinal Tap is a real life depiction of being in a metal band.”
“Spinal Tap is a great film, but he did so much more.”
“the greatgranddaddy of stuff like Parks and Recreation and the Office”
“Nothing had as large an impact on my sense of humor growing up as This is Spinal Tap.”
“count Spinal Tap, Misery and Stand by Me among my favourites”
“an unusually strong and culturally-resonant line of movies”
“What an eclectic set of masterpieces.”
“Three great movies that he directed that everyone around my age would be relatively intimately familiar with”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.