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This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap, released in 1984 and directed by Rob Reiner, follows a fictional aging British heavy metal band on a disastrous American tour, and the film's largely improvised dialogue, developed by the actors themselves rather than a fully scripted screenplay, gave it an unusually naturalistic comedic texture. The film is widely credited with essentially inventing the modern mockumentary format as a mainstream comedic genre, establishing the deadpan, fake-documentary interview style that numerous subsequent films and television shows have directly built upon. Its fictional band's amplifier that famously "goes to eleven," a joke about a volume dial with an extra, meaningless increment beyond the standard maximum of ten, became one of the most widely referenced phrases in popular culture, entering common usage as shorthand for something taken to an extreme beyond normal limits. This Is Spinal Tap's combination of genuinely convincing fake-documentary craft and its affectionate satire of rock band excess and dysfunction has made it one of the most influential comedies ever made, and it remains the foundational reference point whenever critics discuss the mockumentary genre.
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Best in Show
Best in Show, released in 2000 and directed by Christopher Guest, follows a diverse group of eccentric dog owners preparing for a prestigious dog show, and the film's largely improvised performances, built from Guest's detailed outlines rather than fully scripted dialogue, gave the ensemble comedy a naturalistic, character-driven texture. The film continued the mockumentary approach Guest had helped establish as an actor in This Is Spinal Tap, and Best in Show became one of the defining examples of Guest's own subsequent directorial career built around similarly structured ensemble mockumentaries. Its gallery of specifically drawn eccentric characters, including an anxious yuppie couple and a flamboyant Southern dog handler and her much older husband, gave the film a genuinely affectionate rather than purely mocking tone toward its subjects' particular obsessions. Best in Show's combination of Guest's signature improvisational ensemble comedy style and its specific, well-observed satire of competitive dog show culture has made it one of the most beloved and frequently rewatched mockumentaries in American film comedy.
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