User reviews

For once I feel the high IMDb rating is deserved. I went with my boyfriend to see this movie even though I have less than no interest in heavy metal. But from the opening frames I was pulled into this film and carried through it on a wave of wonderful characters, intriguing 'plot' and the sheer devotion to duty shown both by the members of Anvil and the film-maker Sacha Gervasi. Despite being close to the band, he has managed to maintain the objectivity that allows not a jot of over-indulgence, while allowing the pathos and humour of the situation to emerge organically.

Here is the flipside of The X Factor - one band's truth about the music industry and their seemingly endless efforts to achieve success 30 years on from what looked like spectacular beginnings.

The structure of this film is particularly engaging and - once again - Gervasi trims any unnecessary fat from what could have been a fan's-eye-view of Anvil.

Comparisons with Spinal Tap are obvious but do no favours to Anvil, whose members are never less than engaging, industrious and loyal.

In places I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and nearly did both simultaneously more than once. The small audience we saw it with seemed to enjoy the film very much, and nobody stood up until the credits had ended.

What Gervasi has achieved is a truly moving, funny and uplifting account of a band's struggle for the recognition you can't help but feel they so richly deserve.

Forget Slumdog Millionaire - Anvil is the true feelgood movie of the year so far.

This was probably the funniest movie I've seen all year and also one of the most poignant. The director could have really taken the pi&$# out of these guys and made us laugh at them, and I thought that that's what the movie was going to be about, but it wasn't. It's about two guys who never stopped following their dream and if that sounds corny, well, somehow it works.

I did laugh, hilariously at times, (The manager spelling the name of the town they are in in Sweden with her bad English was a classic) but I also really felt for these guys and wanted them to succeed....even as I realized that they were a bit delusional for keeping on the same path for 30+ years, I also had to admire their tenacity and passion.

I highly recommend this human, funny film.

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.

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!

The Sundance documentaries I look forward to every year are usually heavy insights into social injustices or political atrocities. So when I first heard about "Anvil!", I admit I was expecting a goofy, cheesy film. Fortunately, my expectations were blown away during the world premiere at Sundance.

Director Sacha Gervasi demonstrated that the love of a fan and the 30 year bond between best friends and band mates can be just as powerful and compelling subject matter as found in any other documentary.

I was impressed by the film's artistry. Sacha's profiles revealed rich characters, human and lovable. Lead singer "Lips" has a wonderful, sensitive, child-like personality full of emotion and hope. He seems completely without guile, open and transparent. It contrasts nicely with drummer Robb Reiner's more quiet, thoughtful and intellectual presence.

The photography was stunning. There were some very poetic moments like a quiet scene after a fight between band members in Dover where a solitary band member walked through a field with a stormy wind whipping the vegetation and waves angrily crashing in the turbulent seas in the background. Or after wonderful news, the camera followed Lips outside of the house then panned to the window with a black cat sitting inside, then shifting focus to fresh flowers growing in the yard. It was lovely mirror of Lip's amazing ability to leave bad luck (the cat) behind and savor the beauty of a fresh new opportunity.

This was the first documentary that I remember hearing the audience actually cheer out loud during the movie. After the film Sacha was received with thunderous applause, and and instant standing ovation when the band took the stage.

It's been years since I've listened to metal, but I was surprised at how enjoyable the music was...especially Robb's brilliant drumming. So, I'll sign-off now and head over to www.anvilmetal.com and purchase my first metal album in 15 years.

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.

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.

Sometimes it simply helps to be in the right place in the right time, with the right hand dealt to you by the hands of fate. For Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner, founding members of highly influential and significant heavy metal band Anvil, luck—or fate, it would seem—would be a tide that they would have to swim against for the better part of thirty years. Starting off at the top in their twenties with the big names of the genre, Anvil were amongst the forerunners of the hard rock and heavy metal explosion that would take place in the early eighties. And yet when bands like Metallica and Slayer were selling out stadiums, Anvil would more than likely be around the corner playing in a bar to ten or twenty people. Of course, there are numerous theories as to why this seemingly cruel and bitter injustice played out the way that it so silently did, but if there's one thing that the The Story of Anvil does is that it expels any doubt as to the heart and soul that have kept these guys swimming against the tide working against them all those years.

Like this year's The Wrestler, Anvil is a movie that strives to shine light on hidden corners of an industry and expose the truth behind the cogs and wheels that power the well-oiled and shiny machine we as consumers invest in each and every day. It's a document to rigorous commitment and to human spirit; even if watching the feature is somewhat soul-crushing in its deconstruction of the infamous "you can do what you set your heart to" mantra. There's no denying that Steve and Robb's plight is as equally uplifting as it is depressing, but in truth life is usually just like that. When discussing a rockumentary akin to The Story of Anvil, it can be hard to resist drawing parallels between it and the scripted comedy Spinal Tap, but aside from the few coincidental references here and there, Anvil is a much more realistic, human and grounded look inside the green room of a hard working rock band. In fact if there is one glaring disconnection between Anvil and the classic rockumentary it's that there is virtually no laughs to be found here—Gervasi's story is brimming with a grey shade of disillusion and bitterness that overwhelms all other shades that the band try to convey in their passion.

To this degree, the film too often offers an experience that certainly isn't pleasant to watch but nevertheless feels tangible and focused on the central themes at hand. The history of the band is one tinged with disappointment, missed opportunities and skewed injustices at the hands of fate. Yet it was Jack Kerouac who more or less coined the Circle of Despair theory (something that would play a prominent role in his most famous work On the Road) that in summary lays out life as a series of deflections or disappointing twists of fate. Throughout the course of our lives, there lies a series of derailments and changes in direction brought on by failure that sets our initial goals off into the distant horizon, but also opens up new doors for a whole other adventure. For Kerouac, the silver lining would be his vast adventures through the states of America with his best friend; for the founding members of Anvil, the result is startlingly very much the same. Perhaps the most potent and engaging of all the scenes on display throughout the concise runtime of Anvil's story is something that only ties in rudimentarily to the central struggle at hand for singer Kudlow. Needing money to record the band's 13th album with a big-name producer, Steve's older sister eventually comes through for him after his own attempts fall through. Not only is perhaps the most touching moment in the movie, but it also drives home this central idea of bittersweet blessing; for "Lips", he may not have riches, fame and glory, but he has the support some people could only dream of.

And that, in essence, is the true core and centrally compelling aspect of The Story of Anvil that makes it the experience that it is. Yes, there are more than enough moments of sadness, anger, heartbreak and startling revelations regarding how belittled these people have become over the years—but it is through these moments with friends, family and band-mates that Anvil comes full circle and becomes more than just a rockumentary. In a sense, Gervasi's directorial debut is less about the music and rock and roll sensibility as it is about the spirit, soul, heart and balls that often drive bands into the former glories. For Anvil however, life has simply never given them their just rights, dues or rewards that they do plainly deserve—and yet even if this rockumentary of sorts ends up being their ultimate statement, in a way, it does more for them than any millions or record sales could ever do. It may not be a perfect theatrical documentary, but it's got heart and sentiment that goes beyond most similar outputs. For fans of heavy metal or rock and roll, or for anyone who is more than familiar with the hardships of trying to "make it", The Story of Anvil will be like watching a home movie that feels potent and true to reality. Yet even if this isn't your thing, Gervasi paints a portrait here that can be related to by just about anyone left unfulfilled and conflicted by their ambitions and dreams against the crushing blows of that very same reality. It's not pretty, no, but it's real and its life manifest; so turn it up to eleven and forget about it, even if it's only for an hour.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

Still passionate as ever about their music, the two original members of 80s heavy metal band Anvil continue to try to recapture the fame they once had in this documentary from Sacha Gervasi (director of the film 'Hitchcock' with Anthony Hopkins). As one of the musicians' wives says, they have kept "dreaming that dream" despite fading into obscurity and never achieving the recognition of bands like Metallica who they inspired. Now in their fifties, the two men hold regular day jobs and play whatever gigs they can on the side, while still recording albums to sell directly to their fans, since the demand is still there. While their never-ending passion is interesting, watching the pair argue while going from one low paying gig to the next is not particularly fascinating. Same goes for a sequence that follows one of the rockers while he tries to make it as a phone salesman. More history on the band may have been beneficial, with the film skirting over the period in between their 1980s fame and the present day, but when focused on the hurdles faced by them in the present, it is fairly compelling stuff. The interviews with their wives really enhance the material too, highlighting what their families have had to put up with as a result of their undying dreams of renewed fame and glory. Their music is also very decent, if only ever heard every now and again.

Anvil is a story not everyone can relate to, it takes balls to do what Anvil has done over this last 30 years, and that is never to give up.

When I first saw the trailer in the apple site I was really intrigued about the fact that Lars Ulrich, Scott Ian, Lemmy, Slash and all these guys that I consider my heroes were talking so highly about Anvil.

Truth be told, being born in 1983 I never heard of them until now and was very moved by their perseverance and loyalty to their cause which is the music.

Being an independent rock musician in a foreign country, this movie didn't give me anything more than hope and a well placed push to have faith in what I am doing.

The documentary is one of the best I've seen in my life and it really talked to me.

If you have a dream, go see, buy or rent "Anvil! The story of anvil" it will show you that nothing is impossible when you put your heart in it.

Even when it looks like everything is against you.

Two thumbs up, five stars, 4 thumbs up, 10 stars No matter the scale, this documentary gets the highest.

$0.02

Anvil: The Story of Anvil has got those absurd moments ala Spinal Tap, to be sure. Indeed at one point when the camera follows the band walking down a hallway about to go on stage I put a hand over my eyes thinking they were about to get lost. But it's also got the heart and some similarity to The Wrestler. This is a film that has a bittersweet tattoo on its hands, mostly bitter, a bit of sweet, and a whole lot of optimism with the chaser of stress and the very upfront possibility of failure. There's such a connection to these people that what was uproarious in Spinal Tap carries a whole other dimension. Anvil is the hardest working metal band that hasn't caught a break in years, but they play and play their heart and soul out for all it's worth even when nobody (or five people in a 10,000 seat arena) shows up. They've got big balls, maybe the biggest of them all, but can they get that record break even in their Canadian homeland?

At the same time that the lead singer Lips carries that determination and optimism, now in his 50's and playing in Anvil for over 30 years, there are some moments where he just breaks down. We see real hardcore screaming matches between himself and his friend Robb Reiner (not that Reiner, oddly enough director of 'Tap'), and it's not like what one saw in 2004's Some Kind of Monster where we saw a group of *millionaires* whining in argument over recording an album and going into group therapy. This is about real stakes, of friendship and what it means to stick together in something that may be a failure for the most part. It's so real and raw in presentation that you are on the edge of your seat wondering "can this be the end?"

The film follows Anvil, half with original members and half with new ones, as they first go on tour in Europe (while on vacation from their *actual* pay jobs, which include for Lips driving grocery supplies- again, a supermarket job ala Randy The Ram Robinson and breaking concrete for Reiner), and after the initial high of going on tour in Metal havens like Sweden find that their manager is misguided and without proper English and they barely get paid for gigs they actually play. Then when they get back it sets in that they don't really play anywhere and are deteriorating away - until the initiative comes to Legs that an album must be made, and their only real big-time major produced record, produced by the guy behind many of Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy's records, tries to get them to do it.

But there's money problems. There's internal strife. There's getting the record actually distributed. There's getting gigs. In scenes that are both weirdly, awkwardly funny and as sad as a burning orphan we see Lips on camera talking about how much this new record will be great even if it doesn't sell much at all, or how they've stuck together through thick and thin. If you never met the man you might think the band is a joke, but the brilliance of the filmmaker behind it- big-time Anvil fan Sascha Gervasi- is to get us as close to these people, with real families that have mixed feelings about their husband's or son's or brother's career choices (or lack thereof) as honestly as possible. There's even a couple of moments where mortality and longevity are given immediacy and depth, so much so I could only think of last year's Young @ Heart at topping it.

Aside from it being gripping documentary work and a fine, dark and often slyly funny look at the triumph of the spirit of these guys (we even get as the finale, as with Tap, a big quasi-comeback concert in Japan, only here with the potential to bring some in the audience to tears), it's a sensational metal movie. These guys are legends to other guys like Slash and Lemmy and Lars Ulrich for a reason - they are that greatest-metal-band-you-never-heard of, loaded with energy and craziness (one of Lips trademarks was using a dildo to play his guitar on stage) and the verve that at the least gets attention. If you're at all a metal fan or admirer and don't know them before seeing it, as was the case with myself, you'll want to track down their albums and see what they got to offer.

They got the right stuff, and the movie is a testament to their gifts at being a fantastic "old-school" metal band and being the sort of tenacious human beings that get people rooting for them every step of the way. As the line goes from the Wrestler: the only place I get hurt is "out there" (points to outside world).

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) is one of those movies I sat down to watch because it's on the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list. Before watching this film, I honestly had never heard of this Canadian heavy metal band, and it soon became apparent why. What immediately struck me was how similar the premise was to the 1984 mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap. It was difficult to separate this real-life story of the rise and fall of a heavy metal band with the Rob Reiner comedy since so many of the beats of the plot seemed to match up.

Still, it was somewhat engrossing to see how Anvil! followed the progression I'd already seen in Spinal Tap. At first, I thought, "Is this for real?" This was before I realized that perhaps the reason why Spinal Tap worked so well was because that's just how the music industry functions and has functioned for over 30 years. Granted, some of the interpersonal elements of this movie felt a little overly dramatic-like a reality television show. Of course, this also gave the film quite a bit of heart. It was clear the band wasn't really in it for massive success, but because of the fans and because they enjoyed playing the music.

The fact that the ending of Anvil is slightly different from Spinal Tap should give fans of the latter reason to watch this movie. If anything, the ridiculous nature of the heavy metal community is entertaining to watch. Adding in Canadian elements to the heavy metal band formula was also amusing as well, considering how harsh the heavy metal sound is when compared to the stereotypical kindness of the Canadian people. In the end, Spinal Tap might have done this story better decades ago, but Anvil! makes it real.

A real-life version of This is Spinal Tap; I give Anvil! The Story of Anvil 3.5 stars out of 5.

I did not expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. 'Anvil' are an ageing Canadian metal band who had 5 minutes of fame before falling short of the big-time. Now they are family men, living humble lives but never forgetting their ultimate dream and passion, so here we follow their last endeavour to make a worldwide success of their band. They are genuinely talented musicians and performers, as testified by the likes of Guns 'n' Roses, Metallica and Anthrax who were influenced by them. However, you don't have to be a fan of metal music to enjoy this heart-warming rockumentary, as you become completely endeared to the central characters – the emotional and sentimental Lips and his best friend and band-mate since they were 14 years old, Robb, the calmer and more enigmatic of the two. The initial impression is that the film could be a spoof, but whilst it is as comic as Spinal Tap, it is in fact a story of the real emotions of real people; making it a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

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.

A fantastic film. I sat down to watch it fully expecting to be guffawing with laughter as I mocked the pathetic antics of the joke failed metal band... I was so wrong. That isn't to say there weren't genuinely laugh out loud moments all through the movie, but the guys in the band come across as so likable, and the innocent passion with which they are following their dream is so poignant, your heart just goes out to them. Their story is told simply and honestly, and I defy anyone not to be rooting for Anvil by the end of the film. Hell, I almost had a tear up when they came on stage near the end (and I'm tough as nails, by the way).

If you want to laugh at the Spinal Tap-esquire antics of a failing heavy metal band, I recommend 'Metallica - Some Kind of Monster',in which my former idols generally act like a bunch of tits all the way through. If you want to laugh and cry to a bittersweet tale of human spirit that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartrending, then 'Anvil' is for you. A bunch of -let's face it- ageing nobodies display characters worthy of rock legends. There are parallels with another great film 'The Wrestler', as both are tales of broken dreams and camaraderie.

Maybe Anvil are pathetic, but in the true sense of the word 'causing or evoking pity, sympathetic sadness'. I truly hope they found some of the success and recognition they have been craving for 30 odd years on the back of this film.

I saw an interview with these guys in some magazine recently and I didn't know if Anvil was an actual band and I was a bit of a Canadian metalhead teenager growing up in the '80's. So I go into this documentary not honestly knowing if it's a mockumentary for at least the first 10 minutes, I even thought the glowing testimonials from Slash and Lars were send ups. Finally, it became clear that these guys are for real and this film takes you all over the emotional spectrum in the process. The European tour has you laughing your head off and covering your eyes in disbelief as well. Then you meet the families and your heart nearly breaks for the support and love that these people have for their never-give-up metalheaded brethren. This was just a very, very good documentary, I don't think you would have to be a metal fan to enjoy this, these two guys are such great, sincere people that I think anyone could love them and root for them and you will if you take the time to watch. This film caught me totally off-guard, just really a great job by the director, Sacha Gervasi, to make you really care for these two guys and to be moved by their persistence and determination.

I've had my dalliances with 80s Heavy Metal as a kid, but I'd never heard of Anvil until this came out. There's some pretty big names at the top singing their praises though. Members of Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, bloody Lemmy & Slash! Anvil are the band that never broke through. There at the start of something in the mid 80s. They influenced some bands that became household names, but it never really happened for poor Anvil. There's a million bands like this truth be told. Bands with a loyal audience, but never big enough to sustain a career. They've never given up though. Still playing clubs, releasing self funded albums, working delivery jobs to make ends meet. You could say they've never grown up either. 30 years on, they still hope of living out their heavy metal dreams, "We wanna be rock stars!" This doc tells the story of their 2006 tour that sees them stumble around Europe. The crowds are modest, but enthusiastic. It's like a real life Spinal Tap as they get lost in Prague, play gigs for free, miss trains. Band arguments start, management is a shambles. It's raw and honest. They seem like nice guys. Grateful for the opportunity to play. Singer Lips and drummer Robb (Reiner... nope not kidding) are the core. Original members, lifelong friends. They bring the energy and dumb desperation. It's often quite awkward, especially when they're back home in Ontario, Canada. They clearly live for the music and get their hopes up once more as they plan to record their 13th album with a producer that they hope can take them over the top. First though they have to make the money to make the record and this is where the fun frivolity of the Spinal Tap comparisons stop. Lips trying his hand at telemarketing in particular is soul destroying. They're putting a lot on the line. Testing the patience of their families and their relationships. Boy do you want them to succeed. What is success in music these days. It's probably different now in 2021 than in was even 15 years ago, but you get the feeling that breaking even and garnering some recognition would be enough. The industry is tough though, will they ever reach the promise they thought they had in '84 with Lips playing a Flying V with a vibrator. The whole thing has an air of 'This time next year...'. and you feel that this could actually work as a series. I don't often say this, but I'd quite like a sequel. They released a new album in 2020, I've listened to it, it's not for me, but I'd love to know how Lips and Robb are doing now.

I have waited over a year to finally see this movie. Anvil are a well known Canadian band and most of the Toronto area musicians of their era know them either by reputation or have met them somewhere on the road. We were rootin' for them when this movie came out because it tells not only their story, but ours.

Anvil were one of the lucky ones. They achieved some success and notoriety early in their career during the early 80's, influencing such heavyweights as Metallica and Guns 'N Roses. But, what goes up eventually comes down and for them "down" was almost a 30 year ordeal.

The Canadian music scene is littered with talented musicians who "almost" made it. It was always more difficult for us to crack that elusive and lucrative U.S. market. Anvil almost did; and when they didn't it left us scratching our heads. A simple twist of fate, being in the right place at the right time makes the difference between being Guns 'N Roses or Anvil, rich or poor.

While many of their peers found day jobs and hung up their axes, Rob and Lips persevered and never completely lost hope and in doing so have become local heroes. The release and success of this movie prove that opportunities still exist even for musicians who cannot be signed by our age-conscious and corporate driven record labels.

The message of this movie? Never give up on yourself or your dreams. Don't listen to naysayers. And be nice to people on your way up because they may be able to help you once you are down.

Excellent, heartwarming, funny and sadly true film.

I remember seeing this band in concert, many years back. So I was delighted to hear that they were going to make a movie about their lives and climb to fame....almost fame that is.

In truth, it is much better than I had hoped it would be. A great deal of 'behind the rocker' is revealed in this flick. Yes, it is funny at parts and, shows the determination to give it one last try at the gold that have eluded them.

Truly a must see if not for the sheer display of stubbornness and, never give up attitude. In all, the real nice thing is, they remained friends throughout it all. You don't need to love or even like their music to enjoy this film. Give it a try, can't hurt and, you'll enjoy it for it's honest qualities it has to offer if nothing else.:)