Anvil: The Story of Anvil Movie Review

Directed by Sasha Gervasi

Starring Lips and Robb Reiner

Limited release theatrically and U.S. dvd date unknown.

The first awesome documentary Ive seen this year. Being a metal fan I was expecting to like it but I didnt think I would enjoy it this much. This is a fairly spoiler heavy review since its the only way I can think of reviewing the film effectively. Luckily they didnt go with the vh1 Behind the Music route and be just a timeline of different events but they went with a more personal approach. What makes this movie so good are the main characters "Lips" the lovable guitarist/singer and his best friend, Robb Reiner the drummer. Both characters are portrayed as down to earth guys that may be a little out of touch with reality but still hold onto a dream of someday being rock stars.
The movie starts off with an overview of Anvil a Canadian power/party metal band and how close they were to making it big. There are interviews with Slash, Tom Araya, and Lars Ulrich all testifying how they were influenced and loved the band. Im a long time fan of metal for 19 years now and Ill be honest Ive never really heard of them but apparently they were playing alongside some of the biggest bands ever in the early 80's, but never caught the break some of the others did. After the band's history is put into perspective then it jumps straight to their normal daily lives. There is some really candid interviews with the band and how they still have the burn to get back to those glory days. Pretty soon they meet with a lady that becomes their new manager and books them a tour across Europe. Inevitably the tour goes bad with low turnouts, missing trains, not getting paid, etc.. etc... So they come back home to Canada with a new game plan. They blame a lot of their lack of success on shitty album production and management. So they contact the producer they used back in 82 that recorded their most popular album to date, Metal on Metal in hopes to revitalize their career with their 13th album. He agrees, but they need to raise 20,000 pounds to record the album. So in my favorite section of the film, Lips goes and works at a job trying to sell sunglasses over the phone. With his nice guy demeanor he's a total failure and quits after only 8 hours total. Eventually his older sister decides to lend him the money. The last portion of the film is the band going to the studio to try and record their comeback album. Of course it wouldnt be a true metal band story without at least one huge fight and make up session. Those emotional scenes between Lips and his family or Lips and Robb would come off as cheesy for most people. But Lips seems like a genuine guy that wears his heart on his sleeve and those scenes work for the most part. By the end of the movie I was rooting for these guys even though at this point I had heard very little of their music.
As my intention to be a thorough review and especially as a metal lover I couldnt write this review until I had listened to at least their earlier "popular" work and their newest album. After hearing both their 1982 album- Metal on Metal and their newest album - This is Thirteen, I have to honestly say I can see why they didnt make it "big". While their albums are fun classic/power/party metal, especially for the time in 82 their music doesnt have many memorable hooks or material thats timeless. While I did enjoy most of This is Thirteen, the album has a distinct 80's sound that doesnt appeal to the masses. Especially for the people who still like that style of music there is Iced Earth, Hammerfall, Heaven and Hell, a reunited Motley Crue and tons of other bands are just technically better. I think this movie will bring attention to them in the short while I dont see them having much success in the long run. They have been together chugging along for 30 years and they still have th desire, so I wish them success but I dont really expect it. After this long winded review to sum it up the movie is a fucking blast and I recommend it to just about anyone. On a scale of 1-10 I give it a Keanu Reeves Matrix glasses 8.75 out of 10.


One of the best cut trailers Ive ever seen. (I still hate you Michael Moore!)