Anvil: The Story of Anvil

What a great documentary. By turns hilarious, heartbreaking, warm, touching, head- scratching, and full of more edge of your seat suspense than any 10 Hollywood thrillers. It's been called the "real life Spinal Tap," and these metalheads surely do walk the fine line between genius and stupid, but it's got so much more heart and humanity than that. It reminded me more of "American Movie," another great documentary about the unstoppable creative urge and the do-it-yourself-or-die-trying spirit. Lips and Robbo, the two fiftysomething never-say-never-again rockers at the heart of the film, are such fascinating, lovable characters, half heroes, half putzes, partly delusional, yet partly triumphant too. They're good at what they do, they know it and love it and can't stop doing it, even though the music industry passed them over a long, long time ago. They caught all the bad breaks they possibly could, but they didn't let that stop them. As the movie follows them on an agonizing (and yet hilarious) European tour, their attempts to get anyone in the record industry interested in their 13th LP, and an out-of-nowhere gig in Japan, you root for them and fret for them more than any characters in any recent film. That's because, of course, this isn't a film about rock n roll, or about these two guys even -- it really is one of those films that's about all of us, our fears and dreams, our success and failures, our genius moments and our putzy ones. No kidding, not just one of the best docs I've seen in recent years, but one of the mot touching and affecting movies, period.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil begins with testimonials from members of some of the biggest bands of all time; from Guns n' Roses to Metallica. They are all united in their praise for one group which served as an inspiration to each of them in the early 80s. That band was Anvil and footage from a massive concert in Japan shows them sharing the stage with Jon Bon Jovi and Whitesnake, destined to be just as successful as their peers. But it simply never happened. Sacha Gervasi's documentary traces the bands unfortunate history and catches up with them 30 years later, capturing the amazing story of their last-ditch attempt to snatch fame from the jaws of obscurity.

Lips and Robb have been playing music together since they were 14. Now in their 50s they have kept Anvil ticking over, supporting themselves with menial jobs and persisting despite the exasperation of their friends and loved ones. This is a band that really doesn't do it for the money but for the love of the music and the (sometimes disturbing) devotion of the few remaining fans. At this point, their commitment to Anvil seems relatively benign until Lips gets word from an Eastern European woman he met online (yes, really) that she has organised a full European tour for them and suddenly they see one final opportunity to give Anvil the success it deserves.

Anvil is an inspirational story of blind commitment and the bond between friends. Lips and Robb have complimentary but very different characters. Lips is the typically mercurial lead guitarist. Prone to violent outbursts and equally sudden, heartfelt apologies he is the heart of the band but also its biggest liability. Robb is his calm and Zen-like foil (with a penchant for scatological art) and their exchanges are never less than entertaining but are also surprisingly emotional. Lips' melodramatic, snivelling, lip quivering apologies are some of the highlights of the film, with Robb's increasingly uncomfortable reactions a joy to watch. If they ever decide to give up on Anvil (unlikely) they would make a great comedic duo. Indeed it is the humour of the movie which makes it most memorable, with a barrage of major and minor disasters on the European tour reducing the audience to speechless, breathless, hernia-inducing laughter.

Anvil's humour is tempered by a huge amount of respect, channelled through Gervasi's coverage of the band. He toured with them as a roadie in the 80s and his love for the guys and what they do can be seen in every frame. Even when their situation is being ridiculed it is never at the expense of the band and their determination shines through as their defining attribute. Gervasi's work behind the camera is extraordinary. Having such great, trusting subjects is certainly half the battle and the sheer cavalcade of bad luck which they attract is a bonus but Gervasi shows remarkable restraint in every aspect of the film-making, particularly the editing. The difference between a moment that is funny and one that transcends mere humour to become uncomfortable and even emotional is all in the editing and Gervasi knows exactly when to cut to make the movie most affecting.

There is a moment in Anvil! when the band arrives at an important gig already expecting it to be almost empty. Lips' voice-over combines his almost trademarked acceptance with the tiniest glimmer of hope – a hope which has never been totally extinguished in 30 years. As they walk through the tunnel to the stage there is a genuine surge of adrenaline and a moment of real emotion. As a viewer you desperately want things to work out for Anvil, just this once, and you will it to happen. That level of connection is rare in dramatic films and practically unheard of in documentaries but Anvil creates and holds that tension in a perfect cinematic moment.

Anvil transcends the sometimes niche position of the documentary to deliver a truly extraordinary piece of cinema. It combines the lasting afterglow of a great concert with that of seeing a fantastic movie in a single package which is touching, funny and hugely entertaining. Even if you abhor heavy metal, are generally ambivalent about documentaries and think you couldn't care less about this bands bizarre longevity – you simply have to experience Anvil!

I was a casual fan of Canadian headbangers Anvil during their brief early '80s heyday. (Their signature song, "Metal On Metal," features one of the most bad-ass opening guitar riffs in Metal history, in my humble opinion!) I became a full blown fanboy when I was lucky enough to see one of their few shows on American soil in the mid '90s. It was in a small club in New Jersey (opening for a similarly ignored '80s metal band, Raven) and they blew the roof off the joint. So I've been in Anvil's corner for awhile now and therefore have been absolutely dyin' to see this documentary, which is finally shining a spotlight on a forgotten band that deserved a much better hand than they were dealt.

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil" opens in 1984, when Anvil played a huge rock festival in Japan alongside other up and coming, soon-to-be-megastars like the Scorpions, Bon Jovi and Whitesnake. Clips from this concert are spliced with present-day commentary from members of Heavy Metal royalty like Lars (Metallica) Ulrich, Scott (Anthrax) Ian, and Lemmy (Motorhead) Kilminster reminiscing about what a great band Anvil was in their prime. Everyone else on that bill went on to sell zillions of records, but Anvil quickly dropped off the musical radar after that brief blip of fame and all but disappeared. Two and a half decades later, most people probably thought the band had broken up a long time ago, if they remembered Anvil at all. However, the founding members (Steve "Lips" Kudlow, guitar/vocals and Robb Reiner, drums) have kept the band going, continuing to release albums and playing whatever gigs they can get, still doggedly keeping their eyes on a brass ring which seems permanently out of their reach. Are they insane? Possibly, but their determination and never-say-die road dog spirit becomes touching and inspiring very quickly. When we catch up with Lips and Reiner in the present day, they're back home in Canada, working dead-end jobs to pay the bills (Lips as a delivery truck driver for a caterer, Reiner in construction) and still dreaming of becoming rock stars. Their guitarist's girlfriend and amateur "manager" has lined up a European tour for the band that has the potential to become their most extensive road jaunt in nearly 20 years. The boys start off strong with a well attended set at the prestigious Sweden Rock Festival but the remainder of the tour is a disaster of Spinal Tap proportions, made up of barely promoted, sparsely attended gigs in small European rock bars and clubs where they are disrespected and rarely, if ever, paid. The climax of the tour, a "rock festival" in Romania, is held in a 10,000 seat arena in which only 174 paying customers show up. They return to Canada, broke and tired, but Lips continues to see the sunny side of things as they begin preparations to record their thirteenth album. The second half of the film shows the process of making that record while financial, family and personal pressures threaten to finally break up the Lips/Reiner duo once and for all.

"Spinal Tap" comparisons are unavoidable when watching "Anvil" (The inept manager/girlfriend, amps that go to 11, the band even visits Stonehenge, for cryin' out loud!), but this is not a Mockumentary. The film is funny at times, sad at others, and fascinating all the way through. I have to say that Kudlow, the leader of Anvil and the heart of this film, is an amazingly positive person. He has gone through so much crap over the years for the sake of his band yet he still believes that one day they're going to "make it." (I personally would've said "to hell with it" and shot up a Burger King long ago if I were in his shoes.) Reiner plays the mostly-silent Teller to Lips' motormouthed Penn through most of this film, never saying much, but when the chips are down his devotion to his friend and their musical dreams comes through.

Happily, the attention given to this film has seemingly turned the tide for Anvil. The band has gotten more press and played more gigs for more people in the last year than they probably have in the last decade, so their story is not yet over. "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" is a true underdog story. Even if you're not a metal fan, you'll find yourself drawn to this tale of two old time rockers who simply refuse to quit.

From the Sundance Film Festival program:

"At 14, Toronto school friends Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, went on to become the "demigods of Canadian metal," releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generation, including Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil's career took a different path - straight to obscurity.

Director Sacha Gervasi has concocted a wonderful and often hilarious account of Anvil's last-ditch quest for elusive fame and fortune. His ingenious film-making may first lead you to think this a mockumentary, but it isn't. Gervasi joined the legendary heavy-metal band as a roadie for a tour of Canadian hockey arenas, so he has intimate insight into the members' eccentricities. It's fascinating to see the reality of their day-to-day lives as they struggle to make ends meet, take a misguided European tour, and engage in antics on the road - which is not always lined with fans. Gervasi even finds a softer center to this raucous film, introducing us to band members' ever-supportive, but long-suffering, families. At its core, Anvil! The Story of Anvil is a timeless tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream, year after year. Anvil rocks - it has no other choice."

I saw this film at a special screening the first day of Sundance 2008 and I was blown away. This film is very watchable, even if you have no interest in metal music. It's fun, funny and emotional in a way that when it starts you are thinking "this can't be for real" then by the end it has drawn you in and made you a part of the band's struggle.

Already, I can tell it is going to be one of this year's best.

This is something as oxymoronic as a sensitive film about some aging die-hard speed-metal rockers, if you can believe it.

Did you ever hear of the Canadian rock band Anvil? Well, just possibly maybe. They had a brief flirt with rock and roll fame in the early eighties, just to disappear almost as quickly from the fan radar. They influenced some contemporary bands that went on to be stratospherically successful and were instrumental(!)in changing the direction of metal rock without ever reaping their just rewards.

In this beautifully photographed movie we get to know two immensely likable characters, Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner, founding members and the only two remaining from the original lineup. Closer than siblings they've pursued their common dream for 35 years. Aging and not in a place in life they ever wanted, they refuse to give it up - but after their 15 minutes of fame it was basically over.

This is a film about how to somehow continue to chase your dream even though it's an impossible one - with some degree of dignity. True, a lot of what they go through isn't exactly dignified, a lot of what they do certainly isn't but somehow with Kudlow's and Reiner's personalities you cannot lose. No amount of bad breaks can ever really break their spirit and Sasha Gervasi never portray them as pathetic.

This certainly isn't your standard from-ashes-to-fame Hollywood melodrama, yet it's really fluid and beautifully done. It doesn't matter if you ever heard of Anvil, or the bands they inspired or even like the music - it's really hard not to be gripped and captivated by their story.