The music, heard in economical proportions, is secondary to the unexpectedly deep bond between its creators. Their story is an underdog's triumph that's difficult to deny.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:125
Fresh:122
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: A touching, uplifting and inspirational rockumentary about an aging metal band, both hilarious and heart-warming in equal measure.
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
US Box Office: $492,513
Synopsis: In the early 1980s, the Canadian metal band Anvil wrote the thrash blueprint for followers like Anthrax, Metallica, and Slayer. While those bands went on to become metal titans, Anvil faded into... In the early 1980s, the Canadian metal band Anvil wrote the thrash blueprint for followers like Anthrax, Metallica, and Slayer. While those bands went on to become metal titans, Anvil faded into obscurity--so much that decades later, the band’s core members--guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner--work menial day-jobs even as they continue to churn out little-heard records and dream of rock-star success. Director Sacha Gervasi (who was once a roadie for the band) chronicles the duo’s efforts to regain their '80s glory in the funny and touching documentary ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL. As the camera follows Anvil on a European tour organized by an inept manager and beset by comical, this-can’t-be-real moments--flubbed itineraries, audiences that can be counted on one hand, club owners who refuse to pay for gigs--it might be easy to mistake ANVIL! for a THIS IS SPINAL TAP mockumentary. But despite the snicker-inducing heavy-metal trappings, this is also a warmly human portrait of two men pursuing their creative passions despite Sisyphean odds. The film is at its best when it explores the codependent friendship between the optimistic Lips and the more pragmatic Reiner (friends since they were 14, the two bicker like an old married couple); their relationships with their families (some of whom are still supportive and others who wish the fiftysomething pair would just grow up); and the difficulties of pursing a career in music (while Lips’s siblings are solidly middle-class, the guys in Anvil just wanna rock--and they have made financial sacrifices to do so). Their struggles will ring true to anyone who has felt the pull of the artist’s life and wondered whether it would ever pay off. In Anvil's case, audiences will be rooting for them to finally make it to the big time. [More]
Starring: Anvil
Starring: Anvil
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Producer: Rebecca Yeldham
Studio: Abramorama
Reviews for Anvil! The Story of Anvil
See Anvil! if you love heavy metal, because these guys are legends. See Anvil! if you don't love heavy metal because this story is legendary.
This Is Spinal Tap was a mockumentary, but this is for real, a portrait of a band that was very influential on later metal bands, like Metallica, but who found the big time elusive.
A spectacular documentary that displays the camaraderie and passion these two musicians feel for their music in the face of continued rejection.
Anvil! has been described as the "real-life Spinal Tap", but it's sometimes more like a heavy metal remake of The Wrestler.
Incongruous, funny, unexpected and moving, Sacha Gervasi's film about the 80s band whose long career is anything but what we expect, is much more than a doco about a band
Transcends thrash metal culture and becomes a working class tale of doing what you love at all costs.
The journey of Anvil in the film is one suffused with love and passion...they are the poster-band for passion, and their story is worth checking out.
The story of lifelong friends and wannabe heavy metal gods Steve "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner is touching, sad, tragic and uplifting--often all at once.
What's so refreshing about 'Anvil: The Story of Anvil' is that it focuses on a Toronto band named Anvil who have been playing for 30 years despite having no commercial success to show for it.
I found more real-life poetry about aspiration and failure in a fictional effort such as The Wrestler.
This is one of those movies that makes you want to find out what happens next, and those are the best kind.
You'll learn nothing new here about chasing the dream, but this non-fiction story may convince you to make room in your heart to appreciate the combination of earnestness and doggedness that some people maintain.
Well, the best movie of 2009 is a documentary about aging heavy metal musicians making a last-ditch effort at fame and fortune.
Let's be honest: Anvil is not metal's missing link, and "Anvil!" has been awfully overpraised. However, it's worth watching for the frequent moments of warm, humane heavy-metal comedy and the antagonistic push-and-pull of Canadian creative cousins.
Two musical wannabes in a perpetual reach for the brass ring. But where it will lead remains unanswered by anything more than what they've always had in great quantity. Hope.
Anvil is rock solid entertainment. Whether you're mad for metal or not, you'll find the band's talent, spirit, humor--and mettle--a real rush.
Latest News for Anvil! The Story of Anvil
September 01, 2009:
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"Anvil!" director Sacha Gervasi is working on his next project, a "twisted romantic comedy" titled "Henry's Crime." Keanu Reeves is attached to star. More...
April 09, 2009:
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This week at the movies, we've got a pop songbird (Hannah Montana the Movie, starring Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus), a mall cop (Observe and Report, starring Seth Rogen and Anna... More...
January 20, 2009:
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