This is one of my favorite British comedies. I've never seen This is Spinal Tap so I'm not sure how it compares (it's in my queue, I'll get to it). On the surface it would seem to be quite similar since both movies are about British rock bands who are past their prime. When I see the other one, I'll be better able to tell.Strange Fruit was a band in the 70's who were poised to make the big leagues until internal problems and a disastrous show combine to derail them. Now, 20 years later, the bandmates are all working regular jobs and have mostly given up on fame and fortune until the keyboardist, Tony (Stephen Rea) has a chance meeting with the son of the producer who gave them their last show. Reunion tours are the thing to do now so he goes around trying to get everybody back. He starts with Karen (Juliet Aubrey) a former groupie who was in love with troubled lead guitarist Bryan, and with her on board moves to grab the others: the lead singer (Bill Nighy) who is still trying to hold on to his former glory, the bassist (Jimmy Nail) who still hates the lead singer for being a replacement for the original lead, Keith, who died of an overdose before they got famous, and the drummer (Timothy Spall) who is on the run from the Inland Revenue. Can these aging rockers rediscover what talent they had or is it all over for good?
This is just one of those solid British comedies that's not too weird, not too indie, and not too un-funny to appeal to the majority of people.
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