Review - Anvil!: The Story of Anvil

In the 1980's Canadian metal group Anvil were, apparently, rock Gods. Sharing the stage with Whitesnake and Bon Jovi, they were headliner acts at the “Super Rock” festival of 1984, footage of which opens this charming little documentary. Their star soon faded however, and while Bon Jovi and co went on to bigger and better things, Anvil disappeared from the limelight. This documentary joins Anvil in the present day were they are a far cry from their 80's glory days.

Band members Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner may not be rocking stadiums anymore but they are still entertainers. Both have day jobs but they are far happier playing at local bars. Having tasted fame in the 80's they are always trying to find ways to hit the big time again. We follow the band on a ultimately disaster prone tour of Europe and the recording of a new comeback album which doesn't always go to plan. Rock and roll is never straight forward and this film proves that point – while Kudlow and Reiner are clearly great friends there are plenty of tantrums, fighting and tears along the way. This film could have easily become a grotesque Spinal Tap-esque parody of the rock industry, but the strong characters of Reiner and particularly Kudlow transform the film into a eye opening and thoroughly entertaining look at the world of a struggling rock band. These guys try incredibly hard to succeed and when it sometimes get to much they are not afraid to show their sometimes explosive emotions on camera. Although the touring and concert sequences are interesting and engaging some of the best parts of the film are set away from the rock antics, such as a lovely and occasionally hilarious sequence where Reiner shows his talent for painting.

Director Sacha Gervasi, a former roadie for Anvil in his teenager days, is quite happy to just point the camera and shoot what's happening with little intervention. Kudlow and Reiner are so entertaining to watch there's really not much more that can be done to spice things up. There's plenty of good humour here but also very personal drama as well. When the film was first released there were rumours that it was all a spoof, but watching the film there's no doubt that although these characters are sometimes larger than life, they are firmly rooted in reality. They share problems members of the audience are probably going through as well – second mortgages, debts, making them engaging to the audience and easy to relate to. Anvil is a very enjoyable documentary and well worth a watch. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets an Oscar nod this year.