Edgar Wright names the most influential comedy movie: “I cannot overestimate”
If you turn up to see a movie made by Edgar Wright, chances are you’re in for a great time.
The British filmmaker has mastered the balance between infusing his films with his own unique style and not drowning out the story with his ego. Other auteurs could take note. His movies are almost universally beloved, with very few duds among them. Unless you want to count A Fistful of Fingers, his no-budget debut, but that seems a little harsh.
One of the reasons why Wright’s films are so popular is that they are so damn funny. Hot Fuzz might be the most hilarious movie of the 21st Century, full of iconic quotes, characters, and moments. Bolognese sauce, Bad Boys II, loose swans (just the one swan, actually), it’s all there and it’s all great. Then you’ve got the ones that aren’t comedies, but are still packed with laughs, like Baby Driver or Scott Pilgrim vs the World. He also wrote the script for Ant-Man, one of Marvel’s funniest films.
When it comes to his comedy inspirations, the director, whose highly anticipated remake of The Running Man is out in cinemas in 2025, has a taste for the classics. In an interview with Criterion, Wright was asked to choose ten of his favourite movies. Considering he’s seen pretty much every film ever made, this must have felt like a Herculean task. He eventually managed to complete his mission, selecting the likes of Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, and, for the comedy fans, Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap.
“Along with Airplane!, An American Werewolf in London, and Raising Arizona, this film is one that I can silently mouth along with every single line of,” Wright explained. “I don’t know if Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer could have ever known back in 1984 quite how far-reaching the influence of this movie would be.”
Adding, “As a British director who made his start in TV comedy, I can vouch for the fact that this film is one of the key texts for every single UK comedy writer, actor, and director of my generation… I cannot overestimate its position as an unassailable comedy classic.”
This is Spinal Tap tells the story of the titular band, giants of the heavy metal world with a fondness for girls, booze, getting lost backstage, and turning things up to 11. The core members of the group are played by the aforementioned Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, all of whom will be reprising their roles in an upcoming sequel.
Reiner also appears on camera as Martin De Bergi, a fictional American director making a documentary about ‘one of England’s loudest bands’. Though not the first to attempt the format, the popularity of Spinal Tap did wonders for the ‘mockumentary’. By subverting typical documentary tropes – Reiner was inspired by real movies about Bob Dylan and The Band – the character’s outlandish behaviour seemed even more ridiculous. It remains a perfect send-up of the ‘rock ‘n roll lifestyle’, mocking egocentric performers of the genre’s golden age.
In Wright’s view, this movie is a great indicator of whether or not you should be someone’s friend. “You either liked Spinal Tap or you were not worth talking to; it became that simple,” he concluded. “And quite right too.”
