This is ..Out of Sight AND SLIGHTLY OUT OF IT'S MIND

In the tradition of rockumentaries, a genre unknown before the BEATLES, this movie has to rank as one of the top 10 best comedies of all time. I saw it first in 1983, channel surfing on cable. At first taken in, I kept thinking, hey, that guy looks like Rob Reiner! To the absolute dead-pan delivery, I was in a state of dumb-founded amazement...until I spotted Billy Crystal doing the mime routine at the party.

After that, I relaxed and enjoyed the show. The movie is eclectic. No rock group of the day (or earlier days) was immune to the parody. They went back and mocked the debut of the Beatles and the hokey (and well attended) rockumentary they produced. They traced the band through it's many transitions, and it's pathetic attempt to stay current with modern rock.

For me, hopelessly stuck in my appreciation of such bands as Tom Petty and the Wildflowers, some old hippy music and a few current out of the mainstream artists, this flick just kept me laughing, at every trite one-liner, every parallel to The DOORS and other bands of my youth, and every appearance of comedy stars "to be".

The DVD version is, if anything, better than than the original. It features nearly an hour of deleted material, and chronicles the break-up of the two major stars, and ultimate disintegration of the band. It focuses on the implied homosexual relationship between these two guys , and the introduction of a woman as the ultimate rift turns into a permanent separation. It also has Rob Reiner (as the director, and a character in the movie) saying he is ready for a comeback, and ready to direct. After all "I'm not as old as Kubrick, and Stanley did it".

I remember at the time how so many people went out looking for "Spinal Tap" albums (I worked at K-Mart for a brief time, and the requests were numerous). No one of these people could accept that these guys were just actors! Talented actors though, I must say. Whoever said a real rock star had to be able to carry a tune? Still I have to say, a few of those tunes were fun.

The movie is loud, and I could never convince my 77 year old mother that it was a comedy. She went off to bed shaking her head at me, as music for all ages blasted from every speaker in the living room.

BRIEFLY, here are some of my favorite scenes:

1)One of the band members is stopped at the gate at the air port; something metallic has tripped the sensors. He empties his pockets. He takes off his jacket. He answers the inevitable questions and finally has a body scan. The scan is tripped as it points to his fly. He unzips his jeans, and pulls out a cucumber wrapped in tin-foil! Oh, my, what we do for show biz!

2) In a concert, one of the guys is getting into his guitar riff, and is on his back. He has fallen and he can't get up (without stopping playing). A roadie picks him up, and stands him up again. He never misses a beat!

3) In a spectacular side show event, a plastic transparent cocoon is built around the band members. One fails to open. A roadie once again comes to the rescue, this time with a blow torch.

4) In an effort to bring a new gimmick to the band, Stonehenge is introduced. The lyrics to the song are outrageously stupid and funny. The model they have constructed for the event is, however, one tenth the size that they needed to make it impressive. They go with it anyway. Out of nowhere, come "little people", dressed as leprechauns, jigging to the music.

5) In a scene that borders on serious and touching, Reiner is interviewing one of the two major stars. He is playing a sad, almost pretty, classical sounding piece on the piano. Without the explanation it would have just been interesting. However, the songwriter claims Bach and Mozart to be two of his influences, and calls his interpretation "Mach".

6) In a discussion with a lesser band member, he describes the two major rock stars as "fire and ice". His role, he says is to be in between, "sort of like lukewarm water".

7) The drummers in the band seem to have short longevity. The first one died in a bizarre gardening accident. The current one (ones) are worried.

You may have noticed that I have not used any cast members or names to pique your interest or to demonstrate my considerable erudition. Fact is, this review is pure enthusiasm. You don't need to know to love this film.
Warn the neighbors, turn up the surround sound and let it blast! This flick will literally rock you to your socks, if you can stop laughing long enough!