The Rutles or Spinal Tap...Which is the better "Mock"umentary?

[Stateless]

It's almost impossible to choose for me but I think I have to go with The Rutles. It came 1st and the music is fantastic. I can easily listen to the soundtrack for enjoyment whereas with Tap I would only really listen to the music with the film. Neil Innes' take on Lennon in every way is fantastic. The scene with him and Chastity in the shower cracks me up every time. :laugh: Both movies are superb, but if you had too, could you pick just one?

[Dave D]

I say Spinal Tap...mostly due to the fact that a lot of people thought they were a real band!!!! The Rutles is so obvious.....but still a great piece of mocumentary!

[Oatsdad]

The Rutles are good, but Spinal Tap's definitely better. That flick had a much tougher path since it didn't directly parody one act - it had to create its own real-seeming world, while the Rutles just goofed on obvious things...

[reechie]

I love 'em both dearly, but the Rutles has a certain sentimental edge for me. It's a bit closer to my heart, and I think the songs are on the whole better than Tap's metal parodies (which I love as well). I listen to Neil Innes' Rutles songs, as well as his non-Rutles material, all the time. Can't say that I do that with Tap.

[Ken_McAlinden]

Spinal Tap is a better film, but I listen to the Rutles soundtrack more.

Regards,

[BGLeduc]

...but it goes to 11.

[czeskleba]

I find Spinal Tap to be much funnier. The Rutles provokes amused chuckles, Spinal Tap (at least on first viewing) made me laugh to the point of abdominal pain. The Rutles is more a "Mad magazine" approach... let's take an existing story, change the names and situations slightly to make them silly, and viola! Comedy! Whereas Tap creates something out of whole cloth... story, characters, etc. Don't get me wrong, I do like the Rutles. I think part of it for me is that I had already read Mark Shipper's "Paperback Writer" before I first saw the Rutles, and Shipper's book (which is also a fictionalized history of the Beatles) is far, far funnier than the Rutles. So I kind of had an "it's been done" reaction to the Rutles when I first saw it, too. I do prefer the Rutles soundtrack.

[JohnG]

Spinal Tap for me but The Rutles is also genius.

[eelkiller]

Spinal Tap for me also!

[tomhayes]

Spinal Tap is a mockumentary.

The Rutles is a spoof.

[Jimbo]

I'm a Python man all the way. And the Rutles win on music alone. But I love Spinal Tap too, and the good thing is, don't really have to choose. :agree:

[dotwacky]

Hard to compare the two: Spinal Tap is largely improvised (though closely following a pre-existing context) and satirizes an entire genre, while The Rutles is a more specified parody of one musical group.

Both are absolutely brilliant.

I have to give the edge to Spinal Tap, even given the obvious handicaps of The Rutles (it's created for television, it had a much lower budget, it utilizes references from only the Beatles' folklore).

As far as the music is concerned, I give the nod to the Rutles. The songs are every bit as good in their own way as the Beatle songs the are parodying. It's as though Neil found some of the Beatles' magic dust when he was recording them. They're so masterful. Tap's songs are a very close second, though (and I happen to love their second album. I am pretty much alone on that one).

[Ben Sinise]

Spinal Tap is a mockumentary.

The Rutles is a spoof.
I agree :thumbsup:

[Michael]

I love them both, with the Rutles getting the edge.

[tomhayes]

I voted for Spinal Tap because I thought it was a movie. The Rutles seemed like a spoof of The Compleat Beatles and not like a stand alone concept.

I watched the Rutles about 4 months ago with a friend who never saw it AND who hasn't seen the Beatles documentaries that I have. He'd seen MMT, AHDN, HELP and YS, He didn't find the movie that funny. And I didn't laugh much either.

As for songs, I think Cheese and Onions beats Sex Farm.

So my vote goes:
Spinal Tap movies beats The Rutles movie.
The Rutles Soundtrack beats the Spinal Tap soundtrack.

Now Rutalnd Weekend Television beats either the 1982-1984 years of SNL or Laverne and Shirley.

[Tony Caldwell]

Spinal Pap

[Emberglow]

I voted for The Rutles. I enjoyed Spinal Tap but I much prefer this:
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004CZT9.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Robin L]

"It was the trousers. They were very tight. Very revealing. You could see everything . . ."
And as George Harrison pointed out, "The Rutles" expresses more of the truth than anyone else's telling of the tale.

[teaser5]

Not to thread poop but don't miss "Fear of a Black Hat"' another excellent mockumentary
:righton:
Peace-
Norm

[GuyDon]

Spinal Tap is the better film, but the Rutles are better musically. Regardless, they're both brilliant.

[reechie]

I voted for Spinal Tap because I thought it was a movie. The Rutles seemed like a spoof of The Compleat Beatles and not like a stand alone concept.
It should be noted (and as I'm sure you're aware), All You Need Is Cash predates The Compleat Beatles by several years. If anything, Eric Idle based the movie on The Long And Winding Road, Apple's own unreleased first attempt at a Beatles documentary, which Idle and Neil Innes were shown prior to the start of The Rutles' project.

[grbl]

Spinal Tap is a classic.

[Ian]

Spinal Tap should be required watching for all musicians

[ZenArcher]

Love 'em both. But Spinal Tap has classic lines that seem to fit just about every situation. It's a Rocky Horror Picture Show that you can take out and apply to real life. Sort of an instant "cool meter" - say "There's a thin line between stupid and clever" or "Its appeal has just become more selective" and you know what kind of person you're dealing with.

Where are the business-book spin-offs?

"It's Spinal Tap, THEN Puppet Show: The Spinal Tap Business Management Guide."

[bldg blok]

Love 'em both. But Spinal Tap has classic lines that seem to fit just about every situation.
That's why I voted Tap. There's no line in the Rutles that sprang to mind when I saw this thread, but "It's a fine line between stupid and clever" came real fast. :D